Gina Rinehart takes aim at ‘unbrushed and unwashed’ young Australians

Gina Rinehart has hailed the country’s swimming champions as an inspiration for their discipline and hard work, in a speech where she compared them to some young Australians seen ranting on TV who have ‘unbrushed, unwashed hair and clothes’.

The mining magnate, Australia’s richest person, made the remarks while speaking at the Swimming Patron’s Awards Night Gala in Brisbane on Thursday.

Mrs Rinehart praised the team – nicknamed the Dolphins – for its dominant performance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow earlier this year, which saw Australia take home 37 gold medals. 

‘Tonight is about recognising you, your achievements, and the years of effort and dedication behind every race,’ she said.

‘At a time when young Australians are too often shown on TV screens, ranting, with unbrushed, unwashed hair and clothes, or who believe what they want should be instant without hard work or sacrifice, you provide much more inspiring leadership.

‘You live and demonstrate that worthwhile achievement comes from hard work, self-discipline, resilience, sacrifice, teamwork and accepting responsibility for becoming the very best you can be.’

Mrs Rinehart also compared the efforts of the Dolphins with those of veterans, farmers and early Australian settlers. 

‘The country you represent so well was built by incredible pioneers prepared to work hard, rise to challenges and to keep going when the path was tough, trying to make a better future for their children,’ she said. 

‘Over the centuries, we have many [Australians] we can be proud of, of course our veterans, [and] also those in the country who feed not only us with high-quality produce, but who feed and clothe the world. 

‘Those of you with families in the country know many are struggling, and profit lines, if there are profits, are extra thin, as government charges keep rising.’

Mrs Rinehart also took the opportunity to criticise the Albanese government’s economic policy amid the cost of living crisis, persistently high inflation and interest rates. 

‘Many are struggling in our country now. That’s what misguided or bad economic management brings; difficulties for many and stress for many,’ she said.

The businesswoman said this was particularly the case ‘for those on restricted incomes like pensions, [who] our government restricts from being able to work if they [choose] as much as they may want’. 

‘I don’t know if you know how important your achievements on the international stage are to so many Australians, especially in these times, helping to lift spirits when they can watch you on TV and see you do Australians proud,’ she said.

The Dolphins’ athletes pocketed more than $1.2million in bonuses from Mrs Rinehart following their dominant display in Glasgow.

Before the games, Mrs Rinehart pledged $20,000 for gold medal winners, $15,000 for silver, and $10,000 for bronze. She also offered $30,000 for any world records broken.

Freestyle champion Lani Pallister was a big winner from the scheme, taking home an extra $80,000 for her four golds.

‘Few people outside of the swimming families truly understand the years of hard work, discipline and sacrifice required to compete at this international level,’ she said in July.

‘Yet again, our Aussie swimmers punched well above our population size.’ 

Australian swimming champion Kyle Chalmers took to social media in August to praise Mrs Rinehart as ‘one of the true Australian greats’, despite a Swimming Australia media ban on athletes publicly discussing the reward payments. 

‘She continues to give back to Australia and Australian sport in such a meaningful way,’ he said, sharing several photos of the pair together.

‘At this year’s Commonwealth Games, she awarded $1,272,500 in medal incentive bonuses to Australian swimmers.

‘That kind of support isn’t just generous, it sends a message that all of our hard work, sacrifice and the commitment required to compete at the highest level is valued.

‘For me personally, it means I can keep chasing something I’ve dedicated my life to.

‘As a husband, a father, and someone balancing the realities of life outside the pool, support like this makes an enormous difference.

‘Mrs Rinehart, thank you for believing in Australian athletes and for investing in our dreams. Your impact reaches far beyond our medals. I’ll never take that support for granted.’