Gina Rinehart reveals her new year’s wish as she is named Australian Business Person of the Year: Read her no-nonsense advice for the government

Billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart has called for tax cuts as she was crowned the Australian Financial Review's 2023 Business Person of the Year.

Ms Rinehart, 69, received the award at a ceremony held in Sydney on Thursday evening, honoring Australia's top leaders, builders, pioneers and CEOs.

It comes after the Perth-based billionaire was named Australia's richest person of 2023 for the fourth year in a row in the AFR's annual Rich List with a fortune of $38 billion.

Ms Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting company, which she inherited from her father Lang Hancock, is the largest private company in Australia with interests in cattle and iron ore mining.

When Mrs. Rinehart took control of the company from her father in 1992, the company faced serious financial problems. However, under her leadership she orchestrated a remarkable transformation, growing the company into Australia's most successful privately held company.

Accepting her award, Ms Rinehart said it had been a 'challenging year for Australia's primary industries'.

“We are a patriotic Australian company and we are committed to making quality investments in iconic Western Australian and Australian businesses, and in projects our country needs to sustain and improve living standards,” she said.

“Australian mining and agriculture feed, clothe, warm and build the world, and to take them away not only relegates Australians to poor living standards, fewer jobs, lower wages, less export income and less government tax revenue, but deprive our allies of the food, fiber, metals and minerals they need.”

“It has been a challenging year for our primary industries, with many more interventions from government,” Ms Rinehart said.

“Many come from people from the city, who don't understand the importance of people from agriculture.”

Ms Rinehart demanded the Government 'roll out the red carpet' for investment by cutting red tape.

'Fines and even prison if we try, the bureaucracy blocks or hinders us at every opportunity. Projects do not succeed because of the government, but in spite of the government.'

Ms Rinehart, 69, received the award at a ceremony held in Sydney on Thursday evening that recognizes Australia's best leaders, builders, pioneers and CEOs.

It comes after Ms Rinehart (pictured) was named Australia's richest person of 2023 for the fourth year in a row in the AFR's annual Rich List with a fortune of $38 billion.

Ms Rinehart raised concerns that renewable energy projects could take up as much as a third of Australia's agricultural land.

She suggested installing “eyesore” solar panels in “city parks and rivers” rather than in rural areas.

Ms Rinehart called on Australia to abolish payroll taxes and fuel duties.

“I can't think of anything that isn't affected by the government's fuel tax. “I call that a nasty tax that, if people are struggling, it would be absolutely fantastic to reduce,” she said.

She expressed her New Year's wish: that the media would use “more common sense” and “not ignore what Blind Freddie can see.”

The AFR said the mining magnate had an “extraordinary” business year, which included several forays into other industries and saw her beat fellow West Australian iron ore magnate Andrew Forrest in terms of wealth.

In 2023, Ms Rinehart supported several rare earth mining projects, made strategic purchases of office real estate in Brisbane and actively expanded her interests in the agricultural sector.

However, it was its entry into the lithium sector that attracted significant interest. Efforts to acquire two ASX-listed lithium companies, Azure Minerals and Liontown Resources, were unsuccessful as Hancock Prospecting acquired significant stakes, which ultimately hampered the proposed transactions.