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The red dirt and cattle country of the Kimberley has long been defined by its hard men and cowboys, yet it is women who are shaping the region’s future.For the past several years, the Fords have been living at Fossil Downs station, just east of Fitzroy Crossing, where their father, Rick Ford, is the station manager. Fossil Downs, owned by Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Agriculture since 2015, is one of Western Australia’s most historic stations. Its success – and the women who have made Fossil Downs such a powerhouse in the Kimberley – will be among the topics at WA’s first Bush Summit next Monday, hosted by The Australian and Hancock Prospecting.

We have done what we promised to do: to consult, to listen and to review.To consider carefully, and if required, to act. To deliver a positive way forward for everyone. A way forward that values and preserves the oldest known living culture in the world and ensures West Australians can continue to live their lives and reach their full potential. | Roger Cook

Healthy, happy cows may produce higher-quality milk, according to researchers studying the vitamin and mineral profile of milk from dairies across Western Australia. While the milk from all six WA dairies tested showed high levels of B12, B2, calcium, and lactoferrin, a dairy part-owned by billionaire Gina Rinehart stood out for its particularly high vitamin and calcium content. “It’s interesting because we’ve been producing consumer milk for more than 18 years now and in that time a lot of people have said, ‘what do you do differently?’, and so we’ve been aware that our milk is different, but not really sure why,” Bannister Downs managing director Sue Daubney said. The next phase will aim to determine the exact drivers behind the higher-quality product by testing it against other variables.Bannister Downs is jointly owned by the Daubney family and Mrs Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting.

She’s an Olympic swimming champion. She’s also just won 3 gold medals at the World Championships. But Kaylee McKeown has lifted the lid on who’s paying the bills…

Gina Rinehart has donated $60 million to Australian Olympians, athletes and swimmers. “Mind-blowing amount of money there,” Sky News host Rowan Dean said.

Australia’s richest woman Gina Rinehart has donated more than $60 million to Australian Olympians over the past decade, new figures reveal. The mining magnate and current Western Australian of the Year, whose net worth is estimated to be close to $40 billion, began supporting Australian athletes after the swim team won just one gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Through her company Hancock Prospecting, she has since poured money into Australian swimming, rowing and volleyball. The Herald Sun reports that it’s the biggest single contribution to Olympic sport by an individual anywhere in the world.

Our enthusiastic and dedicated partner, Mrs Gina Rinehart AO , is proud to explain the unique and healthy attributes of Bannister Downs award winning fresh milks and creams, starting with the care of the dairy cows to ensure they are happy and healthy, a value prioritised by both the Daubney’s and Mrs Rinehart, and this animal care, is now proven to have beneficial effects according to recent studies by Associate Professor Vicky Solah, Academic Chair of Food Science and Nutrition at Murdoch University.

Rinehart’s contributions make her the largest individual benefactor of the Australian athletes and she deals with them directly because of her passion for Aussie Olympians. ‘The great effort and sacrifices these young athletes make to compete at the world’s top level is truly inspiring,’ Rinehart wrote in her News Corp column in 2016. ‘The qualities and characteristics that these athletes possess — the determination, tenacity, perseverance and drive — make them outstanding role models for Australians. ‘It is these qualities which make it clear why they are great ambassadors for our country and indeed could become future leaders of Australia.

“My fourth World Championships was extra special,” Chalmers wrote, after his performance in the mixed 4x100m freestyle clocked a record time. “I got to share my special moments with my Mum and Mrs Rinehart. The first time my Mum has seen me race live at a World Championships …! These are memories that I will cherish for a lifetime.”
Fellow Aussie swimmer Shayna Jack called Rinehart a “generous and supportive person”.