She may own the biggest purse in Australia but mining billionaire seemed unable to quell the restiveness within the family as Gina Rinehart found out on Thursday that her daughter, Hope Rinehart Welker had filed a lawsuit against her.

According to Smart Company, Hope lodged her complaint before the Supreme Court of New South Wales and was assigned under Court Two Justice Paul Brereton.

No specific details on the legal tussle have been provided by the court, according to the report, which observers said should prove as one of the few times that the reclusive Rinehart daughter would venture into the public eye.

Earlier this year, Rinehart was named as the richest Australian, the first woman, when her fortunes, mostly drawn from her company's, Hancock Prospecting, numerous mining interests in the Pilbara region of Western Australia topped $10.3 billion.

As early as 2006, Rinehart was recognized as the richest female in the country, with her worth estimated to have accumulated as much $800 million from her WA mining investments alone during the past 10 years.

Rinehart's wealth came from the money left behind by famed industrialist Lang Hancock, which she secured following a decade-long legal battle for the inheritance. She successfully nurtured her gains by pouring investments on mining interests that proved highly-profitable over the years.

Hope, according to Smart Company, is Rinehart's daughter with her second husband, American lawyer Frank Rinehart, who is reportedly based in Sydney and rarely participates in the family business, sparking talks that the billionaire had a running feud with her.

The same is true with Rinehart's other children, who the mining mogul had successive quarrels in the past years, highlighted by the withdrawals of two children from her during the past three years though recent reports have suggested that the family are enjoying better relationships at this time.

Widely regarded as a media magnet due to her stature, Rinehart had endeavoured to elude any form of publicity but observers noted that she recently broke her silence to speak in defence of the resources industry and the Australian economy in general.