Billionaire Gina Rinehart warns Australia in bold speech: ‘This makes my blood boil’

EXCLUSIVE

Gina Rinehart has issued a stark warning that Australians will face massive price increases and fresh food shortages unless the burden of climate change policies is lifted from farmers.

Speaking in Bali on Tuesday, the mining magnate made the ominous prediction to mark National Agriculture and Related Industries Day, of which Ms Rinehart is the founder.

Australia’s richest person, who owns millions of hectares of farmland, said governments must cap farmers’ spending on achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions at $200,000 – or face dire consequences across the country.

“Otherwise farmers will have to leave farming, and as a result, Aussies will face huge food price increases and fresh food shortages,” Ms Rinehart said.

Ms Rinehart, executive chairman of iron ore exporting giant Hancock Prospecting, said Australian agriculture is “the envy of much of the world” but is “haunted” by the costs of climate change policies.

“Don’t blame the farmer for trying to pass on the millions in costs they will all have to pass on to Australian households to install solar, batteries and millions for electric vehicles, and fines,” she said.

The mining billionaire claimed that government burdens were too great and that the heaviest impact was on the ‘essential’ primary industries, namely agriculture and mining.

She also expressed anger that, normally for environmental reasons, she was unable to clear land in a way that could curb forest fires, due to red tape.

“Government tape is drowning us, won’t even let us keep our families, staff, pets, homes and investments safe with adequate fire breaks, my blood boils over this,” she said.

Ms Rinehart said if the costs of moving towards net zero emissions were not contained, many farmers would give up farming

‘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 said governments that continue to focus on the wrong things are damaging Australia.

“By pandering to the activism of minority groups, the left and the Greens, backed by virtue signaling, influence political decisions and policies, rather than costs, common sense and economics,” she said.

“Unfortunately, politicians too often forsake common sense and real leadership for vocal public activism.”

She painted a picture of Australia as the ‘apex of greatness’ in the late 1960s to early 1970s.

‘The government was reluctant to take on debt, our nation developed well, migrants came mainly from Italy and Greece, and settled well, worked and contributed, in numbers who worked, and brought with them a desire to succeed in their new country. “I don’t want the welfare of Australian taxpayers,” she said.

‘Our people were well educated, skilled and industrious. The government was much, much less intrusive and the welfare state as we know it today did not exist.’

However, she argued that everything changed with the election of the Whitlam Labor government in 1972.

“Unions, impatient to claim an even greater share of what they saw as this prosperous future, helped elect a socialist government led by Gough,” she said.

“Policies were put in place that favored unions and popular agendas over common sense.”

Ms Rinehart is not only head of ore mining giant Hancock Prospecting, but also Australia’s largest landowner

In the speech, she also called for an end to “discriminatory restrictions on working hours” so that retirees, college students, veterans, disabled and non-violent, non-dangerous prisoners can help fill the labor shortage.

Ms. Rinehart’s fortune is estimated at $34.41 billion.