John Rowland

Australia's richest person Gina Rinehart could be on the hook for millions of dollars in royalty payments, in a long-running battle over lucrative iron ore mining tenements in Western Australia's Pilbara region.

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart is on the hook for royalties payable to the heirs of iron ore pioneers Don Rhodes and Peter Wright, a judge has held in a long-running battle over lucrative tenements in the Pilbara region.

Energy giant Santos has won a dispute over its Gladstone LNG project, described by a court as "litigation on a monumental scale", securing a $692 million judgment against engineering firm Fluor with the help of four silks.