She boarded at St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls and then briefly studied at the University of Sydney, dropping out to work with her father at Hancock Prospecting.

She made sizeable investments in Ten Network Holdings and Fairfax Media (although she sold her interest in the latter in 2015), and also expanded into agriculture, buying several cattle stations, divesting them within a decade.

She briefly studied economics at the University of Sydney, before dropping out and working for her father, gaining an extensive knowledge of the Pilbara iron-ore industry.

Hancock Range is situated about 65 km (40 mi) north-west of the town of Newman at 23°00′23″S 119°12′31″E / 23.00639°S 119.20861°E / -23.00639; 119.20861 and commemorates the family's contribution to the establishment of the pastoral and mining industry in the Pilbara region.

The BBC journalist, Nick Bryant, argues that while Rinehart was a beneficiary of her father's royalty deals, she "transformed the family business by spotting, earlier than most, the vast potential of the China market.

Another joint venture with Mineral Resources at Nicholas Downs, northwest of Newman, is producing 500 million tonnes of ferruginous manganese.

[43] In June 2012, she increased her stake further to 18.67 per cent, and was believed to be seeking three board seats and involvement in editorial decisions in Fairfax's newspaper division.

In October 2016, it was announced that Hancock Prospecting had struck a deal to invest in AIM-listed UK-based mining company Sirius Minerals to help bring to fruition their North Yorkshire Polyhalite Project.

[57][58] Rinehart opposed the Rudd government's Mineral Resource Rent Tax and Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme as part of a group of mining magnates that included Andrew Forrest.

[59] She founded the lobby group ANDEV, ("Australians for Northern Development and Economic Vision")[60] and has sponsored the trips of prominent climate change denier Christopher Monckton to Australia.

[61][62] In October 2021, Rinehart garnered controversy after expressing climate change denialist views during a speech at her childhood primary school.

She advocates a special economic zone in the North with reduced taxation and less regulations and has enlisted the support of many prominent Australians, plus the Institute of Public Affairs.

[70] In a 1984 television interview,[71] Rinehart's late father Lang Hancock suggested forcing unemployed indigenous Australians − specifically "the ones that are no good to themselves, who can't accept things, the half-castes" − to collect their welfare cheques from a central location.

[73][74][75][76][77][78][79] In 2023, Rinehart withdrew her previous sponsorship of Netball Australia after Indigenous player Donnell Wallam asked to not wear the Hancock Prospecting logo on her kit.

[80] In May 2024, Rinehart demanded that an "unflattering" portrait of herself by Indigenous artist Vincent Namatjira be removed from display at the National Gallery of Australia.

[80] Gina Rinehart, through her company Northback Holdings Corporation, has been embroiled in legal disputes concerning the Grassy Mountain Coal Project in the Ranchland, Alberta, Canada.

In their June 17, 2021 final report, the joint provincial-federal review panel composed of the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) denied Benga Mining's application for the Grassy Mountain Coal Project because of significant adverse environmental effects,[81] particularly regarding selenium contamination in local waterways.

[82][83] Despite these setbacks, Rinehart's company has continued to pursue the project, claiming that the AER treated them unfairly by allowing new applications for exploratory drilling after the initial rejection.

[84] In response to the AER's decisions, Rinehart has filed multiple lawsuits against both the Alberta and Canadian governments, arguing that the regulatory process has been biased against her interests.

The Alberta Court of Appeal has recently questioned the AER's decision to classify Grassy Mountain as an "advanced coal project," which could potentially revive Rinehart's plans.

In making the interim order, Justice Paul Brereton stated: "This is not the first occasion of discord in the family, which has immense wealth, no small part of which resides in the trust.

"[92] Then, in a judgement handed down on 7 October 2011, Justice Brereton stated that he intended to dismiss an application by Rinehart, that there be a stay on court action, and that the family be directed into mediation.

[95] A subsequent application by Rinehart for a non-publication order on the grounds of fear of personal and family safety was dismissed by the NSW Supreme Court on 2 February 2012.

[96] In March 2012, when the suppression order was lifted, it was revealed that Rinehart had delayed the vesting date of the trust, which had prompted the court action by her three older children.

Using a price-to-earnings ratio of 11:1 that applied at that time to her business partner, Rio Tinto, the Australian internet business news service, SmartCompany, stated: "It is possible to see Rinehart's portfolio of coal and iron ore production spinning off annual profits approaching US$10 billion", giving her a "personal net worth valuation of more than US$100 billion".

[14][10] On the Forbes list of The Richest People In The World, dated 8 March 2024, Gina Rinehart was ranked #56 with a net worth of $30.8 Billion.

[130] Rinehart is publicly known for visiting girls' orphanages in Cambodia[131] and is on the expert advisory board of SISHA, a Cambodian non-profit organisation campaigning against human trafficking,[132][133][non-primary source needed] in particular by rescuing and assisting sexually exploited women and children.

[134] In 2012 Swimming Australia announced a $10 million funding arrangement over 4 years with the Georgina Hope Foundation in conjunction with Hancock Prospecting.

[139] Bond University awarded Rinehart an honorary doctorate in 2013 "in recognition of her commitment and contribution to the Australian economy and wider community.