Australia's richest Gina Rinehart urges Trump-style governance for country

Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, is urging the country to follow the leadership style of US President Donald Trump, just days before Australia is heading to its national election.

 

Rinehart, a strong Trump supporter who attended his inauguration celebration at Mar-a-Lago in January, told Reuters that Australia should not “whine and whinge” about Trump, instead learn from him.

 

“Australia must reduce its costs, cut government wastage and the expense of government tape, regulations, compliance, licences...,” she told Reuters. 

 

Rinehart’s net worth stands around $30 billion, according to Forbes. Her mining company, Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd, donated A$500,000 ($320,000) to the opposition Liberal Party in the financial year 2024 that’s more than triple its previous donations, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.

 

 

Peter Dutton, the leader of the Liberal Party, has struggled in recent polls. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s ruling Labour Party is slightly ahead as the country prepares to vote on May 3. Some voters appear worried about the effects of Trump-style tariffs and international uncertainty.

 

A global shift after Trump tariffs

 

A similar shift happened in Canada this week, where Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party made a big comeback, driven by concerns about Trump.

 

Still, Rinehart defended Trump’s trade approach. She said, “More than 75 countries had asked to meet with US administration officials to negotiate on tariffs.”

 

While Rinehart supports Dutton and other conservative ideas, she has not asked for a role in government. However, she has suggested Australia create something similar to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

 

She also wants the country to leave the Paris climate agreement — just as Trump did during his presidency.

 

When Trump took office in January, Dutton was leading in the polls, as many Australians were upset about the rising cost of living and housing. 

 

Vows to cut govt jobs as Trump did in the US

 

After Trump and Musk entered the White House, Dutton criticised public servants hired as “culture, diversity and inclusion advisers” and promised to start a Ministry of Government Efficiency. Since then, he has tried to distance himself from comparisons to Trump.

 

Rinehart claimed that public sector cuts are being resisted by people who benefit from government spending. She said, “Perhaps not surprisingly, the Left are also against Elon Musk and DOGE... certainly not those with snouts in the trough. And not those who may be concerned they will have to pay money back where it was wrongly taken or even go to jail.”

 

Dutton has promised to cut about 41,000 non-frontline government jobs in Canberra. Labour says this is not possible due to the limited number of such roles.