Rinehart faces fresh legal battle with kids; Lloyd Williams says Packer will “kick every goal” for Labor: Midday Roundup

Mining heiress Gina Rinehart is facing a fresh round of legal troubles, after her two eldest children made “serious allegations” about their mother in relation to control of her multibillion-dollar empire.

Fairfax reports John Hancock and Bianca Rinehart launched a Federal Court action against their mother and their two younger sisters, Ginia Rinehart and Hope Welker, on Friday evening.

The Sydney court yesterday heard the new claim contained very serious allegations.

“These are very grave allegations against my clients [and Mrs Rinehart] … which relate to valuable assets owned and shares held within the family empire,” said David Studdy, SC, barrister for Hancock Prospecting.

While the exact nature of the claims is not known, Fairfax reports Studdy was successful in convincing judge Peter Jacobson to temporarily suppress the proceedings until the issue can be properly argued next week.

Lloyd Williams says Packer will “kick every goal he can” for Labor

Rich Lister and founder of Crown Casino, Lloyd Williams, was captured on camera on Monday night telling the leader of the Victorian opposition, Daniel Andrews, that James Packer would back Labor in the upcoming Victorian election. 

“You should probably know I am the executor of the Packer estate, and James is going to kick every goal he can for you,” Williams said.

But Packer distanced himself from the comments this morning, according to reports in Fairfax.

“I am overseas and only caught up late last night with news regarding the Victorian election,” Packer said. “Lloyd is a very close friend of mine, but he did not speak to me before making his comments to Daniel Andrews and they don’t represent my views.”

Local shares flat ahead of RBA decision

Aussie shares are flat ahead of today’s announcement by the Reserve Bank of Australia.

At the official market open, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index added 8.3 points, or 0.15%, to 5,493.3, while the broader All Ordinaries index rose 8.6 points, or 0.16%, to 5,515.5.  The Dow Jones closed down 24.28 points, or 0.14%, to 17,366.2 points overnight.

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