Mining billionaire Gina Rinehart has called for Australia to give free land to Israelis to use for weapons manufacturing near a military base in Far North Queensland.
Ms Rinehart, who is Australia’s richest person with a net worth of $39 billion, made the comments at the National Bush Summit in Townsville on Thursday where she also suggested handing over islands to Elon Musk for SpaceX launches, and giving land to Taiwanese semiconductor companies.
The event, sponsored by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and Ms Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting, was attended by Queensland Premier David Crisafulli, Nationals leader Matt Canavan, and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who Ms Rinehart has given multiple donations and access to a private plane.
Mining billionaire Gina Rinehart says Australia should give Israelis free land near Townsville for them to build military drones.
Follow: @NoticerNews pic.twitter.com/17l7w29GEM
— The Noticer (@NoticerNews) June 19, 2026
During her speech the mining magnate highlighted Townville’s military past and veteran community, and said the city could benefit from hosting Israeli defence manufacturing.
“That important culture, a very important culture, could flourish again, if we also offered free land, be that near Prairie if suitable, or elsewhere near Townsville, for the Israelis, and transport here for their skilled people, immediate families and equipment, and encouraged the Israelis to develop and build their advanced war drones, and/or other advances in defence, and/or improve upon their Israeli-style domes, and manufacture them here to sell,” she said.
Earlier in the speech she said allowing Musk to use Australian islands would be an economic boost, provide opportunities for local university graduates, and attract tourists.
“Over at the sparsely or non-populated islands on the screen, where there aren’t high end tourist facilities, offer to Elon, at no cost, for his SpaceX satellite construction and launches,” she said.
“Add water and the infrastructure Elon needs. He needs land to expand, and an alternate weather place in an allied country for his multiple satellite launches.”
Ms Rinehart said instead of using land for wind turbines, it should be offered to Taiwanese firms, and their employees, families and equipment, along with nurses and doctors for a new hospital, be brought over by the taxpayer.
“Let’s stop this misuse and let the Taiwan computer chip industries know, we have free land to offer for their world leading microchip industry, with tax holiday, an international airport to go to and fro, and a port at Townsville,” she said.
“Taxpayers’ saved dollars could go on charter jets and cargo ships, to Taiwan, to bring the high skilled staff they chose, and their immediate families to Townsville, plus equipment. And doctors and nurses and their immediate families, for a regional hospital.”
After the speech Ms Rinehart gifted Ms Hanson, who she last year flew to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for the Conservative Political Action Conference, with an orange toy bulldozer.
“You might remember Elon Musk was given a big chainsaw to try and cut government tape and bureaucracies over in America, we need an orange bulldozer,” Mrs Rinehart said.
Ms Hanson has also been an outspoken supporter of Israel, but her party was attacked this week by the country’s most influential Jewish lobby group, peak body the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), and the left-wing Jewish Council of Australia (JCA).
The JCA claimed in a submission to the anti-Semitism Royal Commission there was a “long history of One Nation members endorsing and promulgating anti-Semitic views” and pointed to a Crossroads25 survey from last year that found One Nation supporters were the most likely of any voter group to be anti-Jewish, but also the second-most likely to be pro-Israel.
A day later the ECAJ accused One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts of using an “anti-Semitic trope” when he said on a podcast in September 2024 that “globalist parasites” had hijacked the United States government, and called the US “the world’s greatest terrorist organisation”.
Header image: Ms Rinehart during her speech (Hancock Prospecting – YouTube).
