Australia's richest person Gina Rinehart has eclipsed Wal-Mart heiress Christy Walton to become the world's wealthiest woman, according to an annual index by Business Review Weekly.

根据《商业评论周刊》年度索引，澳大利亚首富吉娜•莱茵哈特盖过沃尔玛女继承人克里斯提•沃尔顿，成为全世界最富有的女人。

Australia's richest person Gina Rinehart has eclipsed Wal-Mart heiress Christy Walton to become the world's wealthiest woman, according to an annual index by Business Review Weekly.
A preview of the respected BRW Rich 200 list, published Wednesday, put the mining tycoon¹'s personal fortune at Aus$29.17 billion (US$28.48 billion), a figure that sees her outstrip²（超过） Walton for the first time.

In March, Forbes placed Walton and her family's net worth at US$25.3 billion, while Rinehart's fortune stood at US$18 billion.

BRW rich list editor Andrew Heathcote said mining magnate Rinehart had almost tripled her wealth in 12 months as commodity prices rose and she pulled off two deals in iron ore and coal.

"The Aus$18.87 billion increase in her wealth is unparalleled（无比的） . It is a product of foreign investment in new projects, increased production and a recovery in the iron ore price over the past six months," said Heathcote.

Rinehart, 58, heiress to an iron ore prospecting³ empire built in Australia's resources-rich west, is a controversial figure who stridently campaigned against new mining taxes and recently bought up big in the media sector⁴.

She is also locked in a series of lawsuits⁵, including an acrimonious⁶（严厉的） row with her own children over a family trust where she has been accused of threatening to financially ruin them.

Heathcote said Rinehart was on track to overtake Mexican telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim -- worth US$69 billion -- as the world's richest person as demand ramps⁷ up for Australia's natural resources.

"A $100 billion fortune is not out of the question for Rinehart if the resources boom continues unabated," said Heathcote.

"There is a real possibility that Rinehart will become not just the richest woman in the world but the richest person in the world."

The full BRW list of Australia's richest people, the upper rungs of which are usually dominated by mining tycoons⁸, will be unveiled on Thursday.