Media attention to Australia's richest woman, Gina Rinehart, has shifted back to her family feud from her recent foray into Fairfax Media.

The return of media coverage to the public feud of Rinehart and her three children was the result of New South Wales Supreme Court Justice Michael Ball's decision not to issue a suppression order on the details of the family tiff over control of the Rinehart billions.

Among the details that were made public were personal e-mails between Rinehart and two of her daughters who sought more funds from their mother - now Asia's richest woman and likely soon to be the world's richest person - to provide security for their family amid threats to their lives.

In one e-mail, daughter Bianca Rinehart informed her mother of the Mosman bomb hoax and warned that on account of their wealth they are the highest risk family in Australia for such attacks.

"If we are to remain based here in Australia I would like to have security personnel present... unfortunately I do not have the financial means to achieve this, and ask that either you consider sponsoring such an arrangement or please make funds available," The Herald Sun quoted the younger Rinehart's email.

Another email from daughter Hope Welker made a similar request to their mother. Hope also complained to her mother, whose wealth is not estimated at $17 billion, that her poorer friends in the U.S. had more staff than her.

"I don't think you understand what it means now that the whole world thinks you're going to be wealthier than Bill Gates. It means we all need bodyguards and very safe homes," Hope said in her e-mail.

In another e-mail, Hope asked as a birthday gift from her mother for a cook to ensure good meals for the billionaire's granddaughter April, a bodyguard and a housekeeper so she could go out. Hope said she wanted to pay for these personal services but her funds were down to only $60,000.

In seeking a court order to suppress details of the Rinehart family's legal battles over who controls their billions, Rinehart even cited a security risk assessment report which compared the Rineharts to other case studies such as the Beckhams, the late cardiac surgeon Victor Chang and Madeleine Pulver, the hoax collar bomb victim.

The report, made by international security firm Control Risks, stated that media reportage of the family court dispute could increase the chances of abduction and kidnap for ransom, robbery, protest and harassment from criminals, deranged individuals and issue-motivated groups.

Gina Rinehart, who has 25-year-old daughter Ginia on her side, asked the court to prevent the release of more details of their legal battle. She also wanted to settle the dispute through confidential mediation or arbitration.

However, Ball was not convinced and did not grant Rinehart's request for a suppression order. The result was the publication of the details of the emails between the mother and her estranged daughters.

It is these unflattering media accounts of about the Rineharts that media observers believe is one of the reasons why Rinehart upped her share in Fairfax media - to have a say on the publisher's editorial policy.

However, there are different views on the matter. One group points to the integrity of Fairfax's editorial board, while other groups doubt if Rinehart's less than 15 per cent stake in the media company is sufficient for her to influence editorial content.

The other reason could be that she wants to use the media to continue her battle with the Gillard government's carbon tax and mining tax, both of which she opposes.

Whether it's her family feud or new investments, Rinehart is media fodder on account of her wealth alone, which doubled after she inked a deal recently with South Korean steel manufacturer Posco which bought a 15 per cent stake in the family's Roy Hill iron ore mine in Western Australia. The mine is yet to be developed, but the deal immediately boosted her value by $10 billion.

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