Who are the richest in the land? When it comes to the deepest pockets in Australia, we might automatically think of names like Nicole Kidman or Chris Hemsworth. But these celebs can’t hold a candle to some other Aussies when it comes to wealth. The serious money to be made is in mining, software, and, well, family business, as you will soon see from this list.
Regular Joes like us will probably never get to see a minuscule fraction of what these Aussies earn. Not even if it’s our lucky day when playing the lotto, or winning real money with no deposit bonuses at an online casino. Even the Powerball won’t be enough to get you over that $10B mark that’ll match up with these people.
But it’s not luck that’ll nab you a spot on a rich list. It’s smarts, management, tenacity, and an eye for the right move at the right time. Let’s check out Australia’s top 10 richest people.
1. Gina Rinehart
Currently in the news for her shady shifting of funds to do with her children in the wake of inheritance murkiness, Gina Rinehart tops 2023’s list of Australia’s richest people, with a net worth of over $30B. Gina is the daughter of the late mining magnate, Lang Hancock, and her wealth is attributed to iron ore. Gina is also one of the richest women in the world, behind names like Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, who is the woman behind the L’Oreal company and valued at (just) $93B. In contrast, Elon Musk is currently the world’s richest man with an estimated net worth of around $218B.
2. Andrew Forrest
Another mining moneymaker, Andrew Forrest has also made his wealth from iron ore, and has now dipped his toes into renewable energies in Australia. Andrew is a self-made billionaire and lives in Perth, Australia, which is the nearest capital city to the large iron ore mines in Western Australia.
3. Harry Tiguboff
You might not know the name Harry Tiguboff, but you’ve no doubt heard of his company during any of your travels in Australia. Harry is the name behind the Meriton brand, one of Aus’s largest residential development companies. The man has been attributed to helping build up inner city density in apartment living to bring vibrancy to our cities – in particular, throughout inner Sydney.
4. Bianca Rinehart & siblings
Gina’s children are also considered some of the richest Australians, despite their ongoing wealth battles with their mother. The trust that their late grandfather set up for the children continues to bring in wealth for them via the Hancock Prospecting company. Bianca Rinehart, who is in her 40s, is in charge of the trust itself, which is why she is listed here first.
5. Anthony Pratt
Coming in at number five on our list is Anthony Pratt. Mr. Pratt is currently the chair of Visy, who are a massive packaging and recycling company. Pratt also has dealings in the US, where he has run a number of different associated companies.
6. Mike Cannon-Brookes
Mike Cannon-Brookes you’ll know from the software behemoth brand, Atlassian, which is based out of Sydney. In more recent years, Mike has been getting involved in the renewable energy sector and even bought into AGL.
7. Scott Farquhar
Scott Farquhar is the partner to Mike Cannon-Brookes in business: the pair built Atlassian from the ground up, not long after they left university. Scott is a little more reclusive than his co-CEO and co-founder but continues to track in the wealth stakes.
8. Melanie Perkins & Cliff Obrecht
This husband and wife team is the brains behind the international software success, Canva. The product changed the way that users created graphic designs, and was innovative in its pricing models. While investors were wary of an innovative SaaS company based in Sydney rather than the US, the company has gone on to massive success around the world.
9. Frank Lowy
While Frank Lowy isn’t exactly deep in the depths of managing his business anymore, his former business’s name will ring bells with all Aussies. Frank was the man behind Westfield Corp, the mega-chain of mega-malls, that continues to be the leading shopping center name across the country. Now, the main business of the Lowy’s is in investments instead. Frank sold the Westfield brand in 2018 for a cool $16B.
10. Richard White
A new entrant to the top 10 richest list, Richard White is another software company founder whose net worth is based on a novel new software paradigm. Richard’s WiseTech Global is a logistics and supply chain solution that is a critical part of many of the world’s richest companies.
