Statement regarding false 60 Minutes claims

Statement from Hancock Prospecting representative: 

“Over the past quarter-century, trade unions and their associated entities have given the Labor Party more than $221 million, supplying at least 27.4 per cent of the party’s itemised income, according to the Centre for Public Integrity. (Clearly Mrs Rinehart’s assistance to the One Nation infrastructure has been diminutive in comparison). If you wanted to ask anyone questions in regard to donation influence, we suggest you start with that quarter-century.

“Further, in the single financial year to June 2025, eight individuals and entities put over $9 million into Climate 200, which then hand selects which candidates would receive that money. Among them were left-wing billionaires Scott Farquhar, who gave $1.5 million, and Mike Cannon-Brookes, who gave $1.3 million. Canva billionaire Cliff Obrecht put in a further $500,000, along with funds to Labor’s Victorian branch. We repeat, the important distinction, Mrs Rinehart’s donations are to One Nation infrastructure, not to candidates.

“A professional gambler, Duncan Turpie, has given the Greens $3.6 million (which again exceeds Mrs Rinehart’s financial assistance), so you may want to check that donation influence. 

“And left-wing billionaire and significant Labor Party donor Andrew Forrest was handed many tens of millions of taxpayer dollars towards his green hydrogen project at Gladstone (which the state LNP Government had to commence legal action over), in stark contrast to Mrs Rinehart who has received nothing from One Nation, and would not want to receive taxpayer handouts. Where is your scrutiny on all this?

“Mrs Rinehart has maintained publicly for the same things for over fifty years: less regulation, less taxes, and greater defence of our country. She has also stood up for the much-maligned primary industries and the businesses they support, which are the main contributors to our country, helping to provide our publicly funded nurses, police, defence, veterans, emergency services, and much more. And don’t forget, the mining industry provides Australia’s highest paying jobs outside of the taxpayer-funded bureaucracy. Mrs Rinehart has encouraged pride in our hard-working pioneers and great contributors to our nation, and endeavoured to foster love of our country (e.g.: her well regarded funding of Olympians, and Australia Day contributions). Her views have been consistent for decades, that government should not bring in policies which steer away investment, investment being essential so that jobs, revenue and opportunities are created, so that living standards can be supported, Australians can earn good incomes, buy a home, look after their children and be able to cope with rising costs of living. She is also wanting Australians to be safe in their homes, streets, and places of worship. She believed all this and was saying this long before One Nation polled where it has been in recent months, and still does poll, and long before friends of hers such as Barnaby and Cory and Teena, joined One Nation, and long before friends of hers decided that One Nation should be supported given the record of the uniparty. Unlike other Australians, including billionaires, Mrs Rinehart’s beliefs and hence positions regarding the best interests of Australians, have not moved.

“Outside of Mrs Rinehart, are you suggesting that union leaders, far left-wing activist organisations, environmental campaign activists, GetUp!, anti-Jew activists, state universities or the taxpayer-funded national broadcaster should be silenced? Or mothers and dads too, who call for an end to biological males in locker rooms or competing against their daughters, potentially physically harming them, should also be silenced?

“Hancock Prospecting has paid $24.5 billion in tax over the past decade, more than any other private Australian company, including $2.3 billion last financial year alone.

“Where government has failed, Mrs Rinehart has acted. She has committed $200 million to housing homeless veterans, the largest private commitment of its kind in Australian history, after learning that more than 6,000 veterans have no home and that veterans are three times more likely to be homeless than other Australians. She has stood up for veterans, urging they be able to work in the country they have served, as long as they may wish, without the government touching their well-deserved pensions, just pay tax on their earnings alone. Veteran homelessness and being blocked from working more than a few hours per week if they need or wish, to be able to support their families, pay their mortgages or cope with the increased cost of living, is the proven path to keeping veterans unwell, sadly even towards veteran suicides, given professional health care visits alone cannot provide light at the end of the tunnel – i.e.: cannot provide homes or escape from socialist policies that sadly keep our veterans in poverty.

“Finally, a question for Nine. Grants published in February 2026 gave Nine Entertainment $16,126,110 from the Albanese Government under the Journalism Assistance Fund, the largest sum paid to any media group and roughly 22 per cent of the fund. This is a huge amount. Will 60 Minutes disclose that publicly, while investigating political influence?”