Yesterday morning, Justice Michael Ball refused to grant an application for a suppression order, despite claims that lifting the order would raise safety concerns.

In a last minute bid to keep the suppression order in place, ASSI International director Adrian Francis gave an affidavit claiming that while in Dubai, he was approached by an unknown man who told him that Rinehart was “not safe”.

“Let me say, my friend, that she is not safe and maybe you know the people that are protecting her,” the man allegedly told Francis.

“Maybe you should talk to them, maybe they need more training.”

However, Ball thought the evidence lacked credibility.

``The so-called threat simply comes from an anonymous person ... in the street,'' he said.

Last month, Rinehart and her daughter Gina reportedly made an urgent application to the High Court for the suppression order to be extended until March 9 after the original gag order, handed down by the New South Wales Court of Appeal, was due to expire.

Rinehart has been fighting to keep details of the family feud out of the public arena since her three eldest children – Hope Rinehart Welker, John Langley Hancock and Bianca Hope Rinehart – started legal proceedings in September last year in a bid to have her dumped as trustee of the multi-billion dollar family trust.

This article first appeared in ILN's sister publication MiningNews.net.