As ordinary Australians have battled cost-of-living pressures over the past year, some of the country's richest people have grown their substantial fortunes.
The Australian Financial Review has revealed its 2026 Rich List, and the country's 200 largest fortunes have collectively leapt by $39 billion to a total of $707 billion.
When the rich list was first published in the Business Review Weekly magazine in 1983, the total worth of Australia's wealthiest people was $4.6 billion.
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Mining magnate Gina Rinehart has topped the rich list for the seventh consecutive year, with an estimated wealth of $39 billion, up $900 million from last year.
Meriton founder Harry Triguboff is number two on the list.
The property developer is worth an estimated $32.29 billion, up from $29.65 billion.
Visy executive chairman Anthony Pratt and his family are ranked third on the list.
Their fortune is worth an estimated $25.19 billion, which they amassed by running Australia's biggest packaging and recycling company.
Former Glencore chief executive Ivan Glasenberg saw his wealth explode from $13 billion last year to $22.38 billion this year.
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Out of the top 178 rankings of this year's Rich 200 list, just less than one in nine people carried estimated fortunes of $1 billion and above.
While total wealth is up, there have been some falls in the technology sector, as a result of the billions of dollars wiped off the value of listed software-as-a-service companies.
Mike Cannon-Brookes went from 13th on the Rich List to 22nd after his estimated fortune dropped from $12.18 billion last year to $6.71 billion this year.
His Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar and wife Kim Jackson, who leads Skip Capital, have dropped from fourth to 13th after the couple saw their wealth plummet from $21.4 billion to $11.7 billion.
WiseTech founder Richard White went from 15th to 17th after his wealth dropped by nearly $2 billion to $8.8 billion.
Marriage breakdowns continue to reshape the top Rich List rankings, with miner Andrew Forrest falling from Australia's second-richest person in 2023 to eighth this year, with a fortune worth $15.93 billion.
He was overtaken by his former wife, Nicola, who is ranked seventh at $17.32 billion.
Some Rich Listers have amassed their fortunes from artificial intelligence and data centres, including Swipejobs founder Katrina Leslie (worth $2.5 billion), Firmus co-founder Oliver Curtis (worth $1.25 billion) and Grafana Labs co-founder Anthony Woods (worth $881 million).
Australian Financial Review Rich List editor Hannah Tattersall said behind each Rich Lister was a story about they built their wealth and where their ideas came from.
"Mining, property and tech always dominate the Rich List but this year's list shows there's money to be made in waste management, in chicken restaurants, in hoodies and of course AI," Tattersall said.
The Financial Review Rich List 2026's top 10
1. Mining magnate and businesswoman Gina Rinehart – $39.01 billion – Mining
2. Meriton founder and managing director Harry Triguboff – $32.29 billion – Property
3. Visy Industries executive chairman Anthony Pratt and family – $25.19 billion – Manufacturing
4. Former Glencore CEO Ivan Glasenberg – $22.38 billion – Mining
5. Mining magnate Clive Palmer – $19.56 billion – Mining
6. Canva founders Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht – $17.56 billion – Technology
7. Philanthropist Nicola Forrest – $17.32 billion – Mining
8. Miner Andrew Forrest – $15.93 billion – Mining
9. Stonepeak founder Michael Dorrell – $13.82 billion – Investment
10. Chemist Warehouse founders Mario, Marcello & Adrian Verrocchi – $12.76 billion – Retail
Where Australia's Rich Listers are based
NSW – 78 Rich Listers
Victoria – 52 Rich Listers
Queensland – 21 Rich Listers
Western Australia – 19 Rich Listers
South Australia – Five Rich Listers
Australian Capital Territory – 0 Rich Listers
Northern Territory – One Rich Lister
Tasmania – Two Rich Listers
USA – Eight Rich Listers
New Zealand – Two Rich Listers
United Kingdom – Three Rich Listers
China – Three Rich Listers
Switzerland – One Rich Lister
Argentina – One Rich Lister
Bahamas – One Rich Lister
Cyprus – One Rich Lister
