A South Australian property prodigy has topped this year’s BRW Young Rich List, after the fortunes of Australia’s young entrepreneurs dipped due to the global financial crisis.

Property investor Ross Makris, 39, knocked Queensland racehorse investor Nathan Tinkler off top spot on the magazine’s 2009 list of the richest 100 Australians aged under 40 with self-made fortunes.

Mr Makris, who follows in the footsteps of his property magnate father Con Makris, is estimated to have personal wealth of $420 million, thanks to shrewd investments in retail properties.

Mr Tinkler slipped to third with $366 million, after topping the 2008 list with an estimated $441 million.
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Well, it’s another BRW Top 10 list and here they are for all of us to have a quick sticky at!

The List (ranked with Name, Wealth and Industry):

1. Anthony Pratt & family: $4.30 bln - manufacturing

2. Frank Lowy: $4.20 bln - property

3. Harry Triguboff: $3.66 bln - property
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Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull may not want to play the wealth card, but his shadow treasurer reckons his ability to make money during a recession makes him a winner.

Mr Turnbull was on Wednesday listed at 182 on the annual BRW list of Australia’s richest 200 people with an estimated fortune of $178 million - a figure the former merchant banker described as “speculative”.

But Mr Hockey said it showed Mr Turnbull’s talents.

“From my perspective if there’s someone out there that’s made money over the past 12 months they’re exactly the right person to run the country,” Mr Hockey told ABC Television.
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Cardboard tycoon Richard Pratt’s son Anthony has been crowned Australia’s wealthiest person, after the global financial crisis pruned Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest’s fortune by a massive $7 billion.

Presiding over a $4.30 billion fortune, Mr Pratt has taken the top spot in the annual BRW magazine’s Rich 200 list after inheriting his wealth and the helm of cardboard packaging company Visy from his late father in April.

Last year’s number one, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd’s Mr Forrest, slid to eighth place with $2.38 billion after losing a whopping $7.03 billion because of falling iron ore prices.

Westfield property empire founder Frank Lowy retained second place on the list, although his fortune dropped to $4.20 billion from $6.30 billion last year.
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Factbox on the top 10 richest people in Australia, according to the 25th BRW magazine Rich 200 list:

RANK WEALTH INDUSTRY
1. Andrew Forrest $9.410bln Mining

2. Frank Lowy $6.300bln Shopping centres

3. James Packer $6.100bln Media, investment Full Story