Gina Rinehart supports one of Pauline Hanson’s closest allies at a lavish $2,500-a-head dinner where the mining billionaire bought an entire Wagyu sirloin steak

Gina Rinehart dined and dined with members of One Nation at an elaborate fundraising event where she brought along a whole Wagyu sirloin steak.

The billionaire mining magnate was the guest of honor at the December 28 dinner at Vue Wine Bar & Restaurant in Yeppoon, central Queensland, with guests paying $2,500 for a ticket to attend.

It was a major fundraising event for Pauline Hanson’s chief of staff, James Ashby, who is now running as the party’s candidate for the Queensland seat of Keppel.

“Our region’s business people are heavy hitters who, despite the pressure of government interference and red tape, are achieving great results for our local economy,” Mr Ashby posted alongside an image of guests at the event.

Since announcing his candidacy at the next Queensland state election in early December, Mr Ashby has received more than $22,700 from fundraising efforts – much of it attributed to the Rinehart event.

He has already reached the highest amount raised by the party in the 12 months before the 2020 state election.

Election finance disclosures show One Nation’s Queensland arm has received just one donation in more than two years – for less than $1,000.

Ashby’s other donors include a handful of Liberal National Party figures and Sky News commentator and former chief of staff to Tony Abbott, Peta Credlin.

Mr Ashby said last month that Queensland faces the prospect of a Labor government “held hostage by the Greens in the inner city”, or a change of government backed by One Nation MPs committed to representing interests of regional communities.

“The Nationals are dead in the Queensland parliament, while the Liberals are moving further to the left in their attempts to secure seats in inner Brisbane,” he said.

“With the support of Keppel voters, I will work on the policies needed to reduce pressure on the cost of living, improve housing availability and affordability, tackle youth crime and restore a long-term vision for Queensland. ‘

Ms Rinehart also launched an extraordinary attack on the Federal Labor government in a scathing speech last year, slamming its welfare policy and its forecast of 1.5 million migrants coming to Australia over the next five years.

The dinner was a major fundraising event for Pauline Hanson’s chief of staff, James Ashby (pictured together), who is now running as the party’s candidate for the Queensland seat of Keppel.

Gina Rinehart even brought a whole Wagyu sirloin steak to the fundraising event

The country’s richest woman spoke at an event hosted by the Queensland Resources Council in May, where she claimed Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ federal budget surplus was driven by support from the mining industry.

The commodities magnate, who is executive chairman of Hancock Prospecting, said state and federal governments “would not waste their enormous tax revenues without our industries” amid soaring commodity prices.

In a 10-page speech, Ms Rinehart also stressed that governments should stop using pejorative two-word descriptions of mining, such as ‘dirty mining’ and ‘bad mining’.

She also raised fears that Australia could not afford to boost its defense force due to “totally inadequate taxpayer dollars… following higher welfare benefits and net zero schemes”.

Ms Rinehart nodded to the labor shortage affecting several key industries across the country – with unemployment at 3.5 per cent.

Australia’s richest woman (pictured) launched an extraordinary attack on the federal Labor government in a scathing speech last year, slamming welfare policies and a prediction that 1.5 million migrants will come to Australia over the next five years.

She argued that veterans and retirees face “heavy paperwork,” which deters them from seeking employment.

“Morally, this is so wrong. How can a government, cognizant of the workforce shortage crisis and the needs of businesses and the cost of living crisis, confine retirees to abject poverty, and effectively prevent our Australian retirees from being able to work if they want to. ‘

Ms Rinehart, a major political donor from the conservative side of politics, instead proposed a pension model similar to New Zealand’s.

Kiwi retirees can “work as much as they want and pay income tax on their work income like the rest of us,” she said.

Doesn’t your blood boil knowing that our veterans, sent to terrible conditions abroad, many of whom risk their lives, live too much in poverty, some even homeless on the streets, cannot work more than a few hours a week in the country where they served.’