Australia's live real-time rich list drops $714.9m Wednesday
Forbes Australia's live Australia real-time rich list showed the country's billionaires lost a combined $714.9 million on Wednesday, 19 August. Atlassian co-founders Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar led the drop after a reversal of their recent rally, while Gina Rinehart stayed No. 1 at $25.3 billion.
Key Takeaways
- Australian billionaires lost a combined $714.9 million, according to Forbes Australia's live tracker.
- Mike Cannon-Brookes fell $185 million to $11.3 billion; Scott Farquhar dropped $184 million to $10.9 billion.
- Gina Rinehart remained Australia's richest person at $25.3 billion, with no listed change.
- Kerry Stokes led the few gainers, up $70.7 million to $7.4 billion, followed by Andrew Forrest, up $65.3 million to $18.0 billion.
- Public holdings update every five minutes when markets are open; private-company fortunes update once daily.
Who lost the most on the live Australia real-time rich list?
The day's biggest hits were concentrated in listed software and retail names. Cannon-Brookes, cofounder and CEO of Sydney-based Atlassian, fell $185 million, or 1.62%, to $11.3 billion. Farquhar, who remains an Atlassian board member and advisor after stepping down as co-CEO in September 2024, fell $184 million, or 1.66%, to $10.9 billion.
WiseTech Global founder Richard White shed $86.8 million to $4.3 billion. Retail fortunes also weakened: Harvey Norman cofounder Gerry Harvey was down $71.4 million to $3.3 billion, and Brett Blundy fell $67.5 million to $2.8 billion. Those moves are recorded on Forbes Australia's real-time ranking.
The Atlassian pair still sit fifth and sixth in Australia. Cannon-Brookes remains the country's richest tech billionaire, ahead of Canva cofounders Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, each listed at $7.6 billion.
Who is still Australia's richest person, and who gained?
Rinehart, 72, held the top spot at $25.3 billion, ranked No. 102 globally. Forbes Australia says the Hancock Prospecting executive chairwoman built her fortune on Western Australian iron ore first explored by her father, Lang Hancock, and has expanded into rare earths, gas and cattle. Property developer Harry Triguboff was second at $23.3 billion, unchanged on the day.
Forrest, founder of Fortescue Metals Group, was third at $18.0 billion after a $65.3 million gain. Packaging heir Anthony Pratt was fourth at $12.1 billion. Stokes, whose fortune is tied to SGH (Seven Group Holdings), led the gainers with a $70.7 million rise, or 0.96%, to $7.4 billion. Other modest winners included miner Chris Ellison (+$19.4 million) and TPG Telecom founder David Teoh (+$7.7 million).
For more net worth and wealth rankings, BlasterPost follows how Australia's richest fortunes move with the market.
How does Forbes Australia's real-time rich list work?
Forbes Australia describes the page as Australia's only real-time billionaires tracker. It ranks every Australian billionaire confirmed by Forbes, using the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List. Public holdings are updated every five minutes when stock markets are open, with a 15-minute delay for stock prices.
People whose wealth is tied mainly to private companies are updated once a day. Major private firms may be adjusted using an industry- or region-specific market index from FactSet Research Systems when available. Biggest-gainer and biggest-loser figures are compared with the previous trading day's market close.
The list is a snapshot, not a static annual ranking. Frank Lowy, 95, is listed as Australia's oldest billionaire; Ed Craven, 30, cofounder of Stake.com, is the youngest. Separately, Forbes also publishes America's Richest Families 2026, a different ranking of multi-generational U.S. dynasties rather than day-to-day individual fortunes.