The Guardian corrects report on Gina Rinehart’s role in critical minerals deal after overstating her direct involvement

The Guardian has corrected its October 24 opinion piece, “Don’t believe the hype: why Australian taxpayers should be wary of the critical minerals deal with Trump,” after it incorrectly stated that mining magnate Gina Rinehart personally received A$840 million in government funding for a critical minerals project in the Northern Territory.

The column, written by economist Nicki Hutley, examined the A$13 billion Australia–US critical minerals framework signed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump, warning that Australian taxpayers were being asked to “have blind faith” in a deal whose economic benefits had not been clearly demonstrated.

In its original version, the piece said that “Gina Rinehart received A$840 million in taxpayer money to develop a critical mineral mine and refinery in the Northern Territory.” In fact, the funding was awarded to a Gina Rinehart–backed company, not to Rinehart personally. The Guardian issued a correction on October 25 clarifying that distinction.

That clarification matters because misstating the recipient of public funds risks misrepresenting both the scale of direct government support for Rinehart herself and the transparency of Australia’s subsidy process. The earlier phrasing implied that the billionaire had been handed public money outright, potentially fuelling misplaced anger over personal enrichment and conflict of interest.

By contrast, the corrected version makes clear that the funding was allocated to a company in which Rinehart has a stake — a nuance that preserves the argument about government “industry policy” without distorting the facts.