Rinehart appoints Plimer to another board

Iron ore heiress Gina Rinehart has appointed controversial climate sceptic Ian Plimer to the board of a third family company in as many weeks.

Australia's richest woman also appointed favoured daughter Ginia to the board of Pilbara mining company Hope Downs Iron Ore Pty Ltd, after she was the only child to stick by the mining magnate during her recent family court battle. ASIC was informed yesterday of the move, according to The Australian.

In another family reshuffle, Rinehart's estranged daughter Bianca was removed from the last of her family board positions, after being replaced on the board of mining company Mulga Downs by Hancock executive director Tad Watroba.

It's the latest in a long line of boardroom manoeuvres by Rinehart, as she looks to shore up support as the courtroom battle over the family fortune drags on. Last month, she appointed Plimer to the board of Roy Hill Holdings and Queensland Coal Investments.

Plimer sits on a number of boards as a mining expert, due to his geology background. He spent his early career working underground in the mines of Broken Hill.

Rinehart is a noted sceptic of human-induced climate change and has been a strident critic of the Gillard government's carbon tax. Plimer was recently named our No.8 most powerful thinker for his influence in the climate debate.