Angela Bennett

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Angela Bennett
Born
Angela Wright

circa 1943 (age 81–82)[1][a]
NationalityAustralian
OccupationMining heiress
Known forWright Prospecting
SpousePeter Bennett
Children7 (Paul, Grant, Todd, Peter (Jnr), David, William, Rebecca)
Parents
  • Peter Wright (1908–1985); adopted (father)
  • Pauline McClemans (mother)
Relatives

Angela Bennett (born c. 1943/1944)[1] is an Australian mining heiress and businesswoman.[4][5][6][7]

Biography

[edit]

Bennett is the eldest adopted[3] child of Pauline McClemans and Peter Wright, who co-founded Wright Prospecting and was a business partner of Lang Hancock. After her father's sudden death in 1985, Bennett and one of her brothers, Michael Wright, took over Wright Prospecting. Michael was also the owner of the Voyager Estate winery in Margaret River,[8][4] until his death in 2012.

Bennett's other brother, Julian Wright, was estranged from the family after he claimed that Angela and Michael duped him over a financial separation agreement for his portion of Wright Prospecting, signed in 1987. Julian Wright commenced legal proceedings in the WA Supreme Court against his siblings. His case was dismissed; he sought leave to appeal to the High Court that was rejected, and he was ordered to pay his sibling's legal fees.[3][9]

Bennett heads Wright Prospecting;[6] and two of her sons, Todd and Paul, are involved in daily management of the business.[3]

After a twelve-year legal battle,[3] in 2010, Bennett and Michael Wright received A$1 billion from Gina Rinehart after the latter was forced to give up twenty-five per cent in the Rhodes Ridges iron ore mine, located 60 kilometres (37 mi) west of Newman in the Pilbara.[4][5] In 2025, Bennett sold a fifteen per stake in the Rhodes Ridges iron ore deposit to Mitsui & Co for A$2 billion; and retained a ten per cent interest in the project which is not expected to produce first ore before 2030. Her nieces, the daughters of Michael Wright, Leonie Baldock and Alexadra Burt, sold their full 25 per cent interest in Rhodes Ridges and share A$3.4 billion.[2][10]

Bennett owns fifteen per cent of Hamersley Iron shares from the Rio Tinto Group; Rinehart ownes the other fifty per cent.[8]

In September 2012, Bennett sued Rinehart to recover fifty per cent of 4, 5 and 6 tenements of the Hope Downs mine, named after Rinehart's mother, Hope Hancock.[6][7][11] The first hearing was held in 2023.[12]

Personal life

[edit]

Bennett is married to Peter Bennett and they have seven children. In 2003 she had an operation to remove a brain cancer. Bennett is considered reclusive and is rarely seen in public.[3]

One of her sons, Todd, has previously served as a director of Apex Mineral,[13][14] and as a director of the Finance and Energy Exchange.[13] Another son, Grant, was declared bankrupt, following a business deal that was unsuccessful. Her only daughter, Rebecca, converted to Islam upon marriage.[3]

Net worth

[edit]

According to the Financial Review 2025 Rich List, Bennett was the fifth-richest woman in Australia by net worth, assessed at $8.41 billion.[15] The predecessor to this list, the BRW Rich 200, assessed her net worth at A$1.55 billion in 2014.[16] In September 2009, she sold her home in the Mosman Park neighbourhood of Perth for A$57.5 million and downsized to a A$8 million apartment in West Perth.[7][17][18] In 2010, she sold her A$20 million yacht.[7][18]

Year Financial Review
Rich List 		Forbes
Australia's 50 Richest
Rank Net worth (A$) Rank Net worth (US$)
2011[19][20] 12 Increase $1.55 billion Increase
2012[21] 9 Increase $2.30 billion Decrease
2013[22] 30 Decrease $0.90 billion Decrease
2014[16][23] $1.55 billion 25 Increase $1.01 billion Increase
2015[24] 31 Decrease $0.97 billion Decrease
2016[25] 29 Increase $0.93 billion Decrease
2017[26][27][28] $1.76 billion 23 Increase $1.70 billion Increase
2018[29] 27 Increase $2.17 billion Increase
2019[30][31] 28 Increase $2.62 billion Increase 24 Decrease $1.65 billion Decrease
2020[32] 21 Increase $3.83 billion Increase
2021[33] 24 Decrease $4.13 billion Increase
2022 24 Steady $5.00 billion Increase
2023[34] 20 Increase $4.63 billion Decrease
2024[35] 22 Decrease $5.04 billion Increase
2025[15] 18 Increase $8.41 billion Increase
Legend
Icon Description
Steady Has not changed from the previous year
Increase Has increased from the previous year
Decrease Has decreased from the previous year

Philanthropy

[edit]

In October 2024 it was reported that Bennett made a donation for an undisclosed amount to support the construction of a 11-storey shelter in Perth for women and children who are homeless,[36] named The Angela Wright Bennett Centre.[37] In 2015, the Angela Wright Bennett Foundation granted 250,000 to support autism research at the Kids Research Institute Australia.[38] The Foundation is a founding partner of Earth4All, a global environmental non-profit initiative of the Club of Rome focused on developing new economic thinking to support the impact of changing climatic conditions.[39]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ In 2025, the Australian Financial Review reported Bennett as born in 1945 (age 79–80).[2][3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "#24 Angela Bennett". Forbes.
  2. ^ a b Riordan, Primrose; Ker, Peter (19 February 2025). "Reclusive iron ore magnates $8b richer after selling to Japan's Mitsui". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Riordan, Primrose; Rabe, Tom (16 February 2024). "The country's most secretive billionaires are about to get much richer". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Wilson-Chapman, Amy (28 April 2012). "Iron ore heir and Rinehart foe Michael Wright passes away". The Sunday Times. Perth, WA.
  5. ^ a b "Billion-dollar war". The Australian. 9 March 2007.
  6. ^ a b c Hernandez, Vittorio (27 September 2012). "Mining Queens Gina Rinehart, Angela Bennett in Legal Battle Over Hope Downs Iron Ore Mine". International Business Times.
  7. ^ a b c d Marks, Kathy (28 September 2012). "Richest women in Australia go to war over mining rights". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022.
  8. ^ a b "#25 Angela Bennett". Australia's 50 Richest. Forbes. January 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  9. ^ Burton, Jesinta (3 February 2025). "Iron ore pioneer's heirs search for 'mystery backer' who bankrolled black sheep's failed battle for billions". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  10. ^ Treadgold, Tim (24 February 2025). "Japan's Mitsui Boosts Australian Family's Wealth By $5.3 Billion". Forbes. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  11. ^ Garvey, Paul; Burrell, Andrew (27 September 2012). "Battle of the billionaire iron ladies as Hope Downs court case looms". The Australian.
  12. ^ Shepherd, Briana (29 July 2023). "How the first week of Gina Rinehart's civil trial over mining royalties unfolded". ABC News. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  13. ^ a b Gosch, Elizabeth (19 July 2008). "Apex reckons it has struck gold with Bennett posting". The Australian.
  14. ^ "Board of Directors". Apex Minerals.
  15. ^ a b Redrup, Yolanda (30 May 2025). "Australia's wealthiest 200 revealed, fortunes blow past $667b". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  16. ^ a b "BRW Rich 200 list 2014: 22. Angela Bennett". BRW. Sydney. 27 June 2014. Archived from the original on 30 June 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  17. ^ Sonti, Chalpat (8 September 2009). "Perth mansion sold for Australian record of $57.5m". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  18. ^ a b Keila, Jon (5 December 2010). "Legal battle over $20m super yacht". Herald Sun.
  19. ^ "2010 Australia's 40 Richest". Forbes Asia. 3 March 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  20. ^ "2011 Australia's 40 Richest". Forbes Asia. 2 February 2011. Archived from the original on 10 February 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
  21. ^ "2012 Australia's 40 Richest". Forbes Asia. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  22. ^ "2013 Australia's 50 Richest". Forbes Asia. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  23. ^ "2014 Australia's 50 Richest". Forbes Asia. January 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  24. ^ "2015 Australia's 50 Richest". Forbes Asia. March 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  25. ^ "Gina Rinehart Loses Her No. 1 Spot". Forbes Asia. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  26. ^ Stensholt, John, ed. (25 May 2017). "Financial Review Rich List 2017". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  27. ^ Mayne, Stephen (26 May 2017). "Mayne's take: The top 25 Australian billionaires, as claimed by Fairfax". Crikey. Private Media. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  28. ^ "Australia's Richest 2017: Country's Wealthiest Continue Mining For Dollars". Forbes Asia. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  29. ^ Stensholt, John, ed. (25 May 2018). "2018 AFR Rich List: Who are Australia's richest people?". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  30. ^ Bailey, Michael (30 May 2019). "Australia's 200 richest people revealed". The Australian Financial Review. Nine Publishing. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  31. ^ "2019 Australia's 50 Richest". Forbes Asia. January 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  32. ^ Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (30 October 2020). "The full list: Australia's wealthiest 200 revealed". The Australian Financial Review. Nine Publishing. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  33. ^ Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (27 May 2021). "The 200 richest people in Australia revealed". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  34. ^ Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (26 May 2023). "The 200 richest people in Australia revealed". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  35. ^ Redrup, Yolanda; Bailey, Michael (30 May 2024). "Australia's wealthiest 200 now control $625b". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  36. ^ Hastie, Hamish (23 October 2024). "WA's most reclusive billionaire now has a women's shelter named after her". WA Today. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  37. ^ "Welcome to the Angela Wright Bennett Centre". Ruah Centre for Women and Children. 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  38. ^ "Angela Bennett hopes to reduce the disabilities associated with autism". Kids Research Institute Australia. 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  39. ^ "About us: Who we are". Earth4All. n.d. Retrieved 1 June 2025.