Article by Chris McLennan courtesy of the Farm Online.
Gina Rinehart’s many agricultural employees are also in the running for the $100,000 prizes offered to mark her 69th birthday tomorrow.
In all, Ms Rinehart is said to be giving just over $4 million to her staff across her mining and pastoral empires.
Australia’s richest person is expected to give away 41 prizes.
Those 41 prizes represent one for each year Ms Rinehart has worked at Hancock Prospecting.
The 4000 workers employed by her companies in mining, energy and agriculture divisions are in the running.
Although her fortune is built on iron ore mining, through Hancock Agriculture and S Kidman and Co, Ms Rinehart is both one of the biggest landowners in Australia and owner of one of its biggest cattle herds.
Media reports suggest a raffle will be held to determine who wins the money.
Ms Rinehart famously handed out about $1 million in bonuses to 10 staff members in a Christmas draw.
All this comes at a time when S Kidman and Co. is putting the finishing touches to the sale of another 2.4 million hectares of its cattle country in the north of Australia.
This follows Ms Rinehart’s successful plan to sell off almost two million hectares of her pastoral holdings in 2021.
They are the largest agricultural land sales Australia has seen for years.
Her company is selling Brunchilly Station (457,200 hectares, 1,129,765 acres) in the Northern Territory’s Barkly Tableland.
It is also selling Glengyle (550,000ha, 1,359,089 acres), Durrie (660,000ha, 1,630,896 acres) and Naryilco (751,000ha, 1,855,761 acres) in Queensland’s Channel country.
The company says the sell off is “consistent with the recent redirection of the agricultural portfolio within S. Kidman and Co. and Hancock Agriculture”.
