A vocal Trump supporter who attended the president’s inauguration party in Mar-a-Lago in January, Rinehart told Reuters that rather than “whine and whinge” about Trump and his policies, Australia could benefit from a similar approach.
Rinehart is Australia's richest person with a net worth Forbes puts at $30 billion. Her flagship mining company, Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd, is among the biggest donors to opposition leader Peter Dutton's Liberal Party, more than tripling donations in the 2024 financial year to A$500,000 ($320,000), according to Australian Electoral Commission data.
The trend is similar to that seen in Canada this week where Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals staged a major political comeback, fuelled by a backlash against Trump.
Dutton's office and the Labor party did not respond to requests for comment.
Rinehart has not publicly sought any Australian government role, but has called for the establishment of a version of Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). She also wants Australia to withdraw from the Paris Agreement to combat climate change, as Trump did during his first term.
In the week after Trump and Musk arrived in the White House, Dutton criticised public servants hired as “culture, diversity and inclusion advisers.” He later promised to set up a Ministry of Government Efficiency, but has since played down comparisons with Trump and his policies.
“Perhaps not surprising the Left are also against Elon Musk and DOGE, you might think, wouldn’t they like to see this taxpayer drain minimalised, but no, certainly not those with snouts in the trough. And not those who may be concerned they will have to pay money back where wrongly taken, or even go to jail.”
Fossil fuels, defence boost
Dutton has been a major backer of natural gas, pledging to incentivise more production, and wants to introduce nuclear power, in contrast to Labor which is relying on renewables and batteries to lower power prices and meet carbon commitments.
“Could it be that the American public are ahead of us, they understand that cutting the mining and export of fossil fuels brings less revenue, less jobs and opportunities,“ she added.
Rinehart last week called for Australia, a key U.S. security ally, to spend 5% of its gross domestic product on national security, in line with the Trump administration's policies.
Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting in February disclosed for the first time a roughly $1.3 billion U.S. investment portfolio, with many of the largest holdings in companies involved in energy, mining and rare earths - crucial for defence and aerospace technologies.
“Americans may be ahead of us recognising they want strong leadership providing defence of their country and people, which President Trump is also busy doing,“ Rinehart said.
“Although, they may not want their taxpayers dollars and defence personnel’s lives risked to help allies who don’t understand them, whine and whinge and worse, are incredibly rude to them, and who do bugger all to provide their own defence.” ($1=1.5603 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Melanie Burton in Melbourne. Editing by Praveen Menon and Lincoln Feast.)
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