Tim Gurner ain't no billionaire

There are two types of prosperous people in the world: those who are desperate to appear on the rich list, and those who are desperate not to. 

Melbourne property identity and woo woo health club proprietor Tim Gurner plainly falls into the former category. His place in this rarified index is a crucial weapon in his formidable self-promotional arsenal.

But is Gurner a billionaire? The Australian Financial Review thinks so, popping him on its 2026 Rich List with $1.14 billion to his name – though, when asked by Rampart, the AFR declined to explain its valuation methodology. Gurner first appeared on what was then known as the BRW Rich List in 2016, when his inclusion was even more dubious than it is today.

Over at The Australian, billionaire status is still being withheld; though its list puts his personal fortune at a lofty $772 million. The Oz also didn't want to explain how it reached its number, but Rampart understands it used publicly available information and information provided by Gurner to populate a financial model that produced its estimate.

It is unsurprising that Gurner feeds the newspapers selective non-public (and unverifiable) information to inflate his wealth. What is also unsurprising – to those who understand how the sausage is made – is the credulity and lack of rigour behind the compilation of these lists, and how willingly Australia's national newspapers are played by Gurner and other arrivistes. Because the published numbers are not officially Gurner's, he needn't even attest to their veracity to bask in their reflected glow.