Australia's biggest landholder is
The figures for land ownership by country were split into leasehold and freehold land for the first time this year, with interests from the Netherlands owning the most freehold land at 1.65 million ha. China topped the leasehold table with 8.31 million ha, pulling ahead of the UK.
As at 30 June 2020, of the 53.026m hectares of Australian agricultural land, 25.6% (13.59m hectares) is held by Australian investors who have shares in foreign person entities.
Australian agricultural land area with Chinese interests rose from 1.5 million hectares at June 30 2016 to 14.4 million hectares at June 30 2017. This made China the second largest foreign investor behind the UK with 16.4 million hectares.
The United States and United Kingdom are the biggest investors in Australia, followed by Belgium, Japan and Hong Kong (SAR of China). China is our eighth largest foreign investor, with 2.2 per cent of the total.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' rights and interests in land are formally recognised over around 50 per cent of Australia's land mass. Connection to land is of central importance to First Nations Australians.
The Williams family, of Williams Cattle Company in South Australia, have the title of owning Australia's biggest farming aggregation — the 2.37 million-hectare Anna Creek and The Peake Stations, covering an area bigger than Slovenia.
Chinese property buyers are re-emerging in Sydney after years of COVID-19 restrictions. Households saved money in the pandemic and real estate is a form of revenge spending. Some can pay in cash or with a small loan, buying a Sydney family home for a similar price to a Shanghai apartment.
China's Luye Medical bought hospital operator Healthe Care and now owns 34 hospitals across Australia, making it the third largest operator in the country. It's also one of Australia's largest providers of psychiatric services.
Chinese investment in Australia is a highly valued part of the bilateral relationship. China is the sixth-largest foreign direct investor in Australia ($46.3 billion in 2021), accounting for 4.4 per cent of total foreign direct investment (FDI).
Western Australia remains the jurisdiction with the highest percentage of foreign-held water entitlement, at 23.3 percent, although most of the water there is used in the mining sector. Queensland is next, at 18.0 percent, with South Australia third on 10.5 percent.
The communist nation of 1.4billion people owns an airport in Western Australia, nine million hectares of Australian land, several Aussie coalmines and wind farms and even the Port of Darwin, a key strategic asset.
The world's 12th largest economy
Strong growth in 2021 solidified Australia's position as the world's 12th largest economy in 2021. Nominal GDP was around A$2.2 trillion (US$1.6 trillion) in 2021. Australia is home to just 0.3% of the world's population, but accounts for 1.7% of the global economy.
No suburb in the country features a greater concentration of members of The List – Australia's Richest 250 than Toorak, where Melbourne's wealthiest families have gathered for decades. Think historic looking mansions guarded by large hedges set back from the street to ensure privacy.
Australia's mining industry is 86% foreign owned, Although many people think BHP and Rio Tinto as Australian companies, BHP is 76% foreign owned, and Rio Tinto is 83%. Between them they constitute 70% of listed mining company resources.
Gina Rinehart
Gina Rinehart has kept the top spot on the rich list once again. The mining magnate has an estimated $37.1 billion. Her wealth derives from the privately owned mining company Hancock Prospecting, founded by her father Lang Hancock.
Ausgrid was wholly owned by the Government of New South Wales from 2011 to 2016. In 2016, the New South Wales Government offered the effective sale of a 50.4% stake in Ausgrid, through a 99-year lease. Initial bidding was won by a consortium of State Grid Corporation of China and Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings.
Hamilton Island was purpose-built for tourism
Hamilton Island was purchased by Australian winemaker Bob Oatley in 2003. Since it's purchase the island has been transformed into one of the world's best holiday destinations.
China company Mengniu Dairy owns the following brands: Dairy Farmers, Pura, Farmers Union, Masters, Moove, Dare, Vitasoy, Yoplait, Fruche, Divine Classic, YoGo, Big M, Berri, Just Juice, Daily Juice, King Island Dairy, South Cape, Tilba, Timboon, Tasmanian Heritage and Clover Creek,” the text above the image reads.
There is no publicly available figure for how much land Chinese investors own in Tasmania, but nationally the figure is 9,169,000 hectares.
In 2021, Australia exported $138B to China. The main products exported from Australia to China were Iron Ore ($95.7B), Petroleum Gas ($15B), and Gold ($5.86B). During the last 26 years the exports of Australia to China have increased at an annualized rate of 17.2%, from $2.24B in 1995 to $138B in 2021.
China will impose taxes on Australian wine of up to 212%, starting on Saturday. Its commerce ministry said these were temporary anti-dumping measures to stop subsidised imports of Australian wine.
North. The northern region encompasses Queensland and New South Wales and generally has high inherent soil fertility. It has relatively high seasonal rainfall and production variability compared with the other two regions.
Gina Rinehart is the richest farmer in Australia, with an estimated net worth of $36.28 billion. Rinehart inherited a stake in her father's mining company, Hancock Prospecting, and has since expanded the company's operations into the agriculture industry.