Gina Rinehart calls for less red tape and Paris Accord exit in face of looming tariff threats

Mining billionaire Gina Rinehart says payroll tax and licence fees should be scrapped to protect small businesses and farmers, as trade tensions rise under President Donald Trump.

In a statement provided to the Australian Financial Review the Hancock Prospecting chair said rising trade tensions should prompt the Albanese government to consider cutting taxes.

And exiting the Paris Accord — an international climate agreement treaty — would also save taxpayer dollars.

“If we really wanted to protect all Australians from tariff exposures, we should immediately exit the too costly Paris accord. Tariffs go up, cutting costs is essential,” Mrs Rinehart told the AFR.

“Out should go payroll tax and licence fees that were meant to go out more than two decades ago, and are currently especially damaging our small and medium businesses, farmers and pastoralists and others in agriculture.”

Mrs Rinehart attended a US election night function earlier this year, and has in recent months encouraged other leaders to embrace Trump’s red-tape slashing policies.

The AFR reported Mrs Rinehart did not directly answer questions about whether she supported Trump’s tariffs or not.

As well as mining, Hancock Prospecting exports beef to the UK, Europe and west coast of the US, meaning the business could potentially be exposed to looming US agricultural tariffs.