Harry Triguboff slips to Australia's 3rd richest billionaire despite boost in wealth

Harry Triguboff slips to Australia's 3rd richest billionaire despite boost in wealth
Jonathan ChancellorMay 30, 2019

The Meriton apartment developer Harry Triguboff increased his wealth by $770 million in the past year, but still slipped down a spot to be named Australia’s third richest person in 2019.

High-rise Harry was given a $13.54 billion net worth on the nation’s wealthiest 200 in the Financial Review Rich List.

With wealth of $15.57 billion, paper and packaging magnate Anthony Pratt ranks as the nation’s richest, followed by mining magnate Gina Rinehartwith $13.810 billion.

The Shimao property baron Hui Wing Mau came fourth at $10.390 billion and tech whiz Scott Farquhar fifth with $9.75 billion and his Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brrokes sixth at $9.63 million.

Cannon-Brookes and Farquhar were placed fourth and fifth on The List of Australia’s Richest 250 when it was published by The Australian in late March, with wealth of $9.01 billion each — the bulk of which is from their respective, and equal, Atlassian share holdings.

Property dominated The List — Australia’s Richest 250, contributing 68 members. Combined, the 68 are worth more than $85 billion and are responsible for the biggest housing projects around the country. The AFR Rich List has 63 with their source of wealth put down to property.

Triguboff is the country’s biggest landlord, and has recently built many of his 65,000 apartments to rent them out.

Frank Lowy sits in 7th place on the AFR list with $8.56 billion. The Westfield co-founder Frank Lowy says he now feels “at home” after moving to Israel late last year.

“I feel that I’m home. That’s all. Very simple,” Sir Frank said in an interview with Israel television network Channel 12.

The Times of Israel has reported Sir Frank as having “made Aliyah”, which is the migration of Jews to Israel.

Sir Frank, who was born in 1930 and survived the Holocaust in Hungary, became an Israeli citizen in February.

Sir Frank and his wife Shirley, who battling Alzheimers, are the subject of the documentary What Will Become of Us, which is showing at the Sydney Film Festival next week.

In December 2017, Sir Frank pulled off the biggest deal in Australian corporate history: the $US24.7bn ($32bn) sale of his Westfield retail empire to French company Unibail-Rodamco. 

Property developer Bob Ell, with an estimated worth of $1.84 billion, sits in 44th place.

Leda is behind the lucrative Cobaki Estate development, west of Gold Coast Airport.

The property investor Con Makris and his family are No.69 on the list with a worth of $1.32 billion.

Garry Rothwell at Winten is in 150th place with $656 million.

Jerry Schwartz is No.178 on the Rich List list with a worth of $554 million.

The cosmetic surgeon is Australia’s largest private hotel owner, the son of late Hungarian immigrants Bela and Eve Schwartz, who built up a portfolio of hotels, resorts and pubs across Australia. 

Jonathan Chancellor

Jonathan Chancellor is one of Australia's most respected property journalists, having been at the top of the game since the early 1980s. Jonathan co-founded the property industry website Property Observer and has written for national and international publications.

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