Australia's richest woman Gina Rinehart says women need to work harder if they want to compete with men on the corporate ladder.

The mining magnate urged women to be available and work through lunch breaks and holidays to prove they are worthy of promotions, the Daily Telegraph reported.

'When I'm asked to give advice, I say to women, if you want to go further up the ladder, what you should be doing is working through lunches, working later, be willing to work later. Willing to, even on holidays or public holidays, be available,' Ms Rinehart told the publication.

'Because what you should be wanting is that you've achieved that position yourself - you are worthy of that position.

Australia's richest woman Gina Rinehart (pictured) says women need to work harder if they want to compete with men on the corporate ladder

The mining magnate, who was estimated by Forbes to be worth $22.83 billion in 2018, said women shouldn't rely on quotas to advance in the workforce.

'It's got to always be, if a woman wants an executive position, they should put in that extra, put in more than their colleagues,' she told the Daily Telegraph.

Ms Rinehart, who inherited a majority stake in her father's mining company in 1992, transformed the business into a billion-dollar empire during the iron ore boom.

The 64-year-old, who says she is 'never not working', has never been one to mince her words about work ethic or show sympathy for those who complain about money.

In a 2012 article for Australian Resources and Investment magazine, Ms Rinehart said those who wanted more money should spend 'more time working'.

'There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire,' she wrote.

'If you're jealous of those with more money, don't just sit there and complain - do something to make more money for yourself.

'Spend less time drinking, or smoking and socialising, and more time working,' she wrote.

The daughter of Lang Hancock, who she inherited her business from, said she doesn't believe quotas are enough for female advancement in the workforce

Her comments come after reports from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency were released on November 12 - which show women continue to be paid less than men and are far less likely to hold executive positions.

While promotions have risen from 39.1 per cent to 43.3 per cent in 2017-18, the gender balance at the top remains static.

Female CEOs increased by 0.6 to 17.1 per cent and female board representatives reached 25.8 per cent after creeping by 0.9.

Despite an increase in gender equality policies and a decline in gender pay gaps, men still take home $25,717 a year more than woman on average, according to the WGEA 2017-18 Data Snapshot.

Ms Rinehart's industry, mining, remains the highest-paying for both genders and has dropped from 11th to 14th on salary measures in terms of gender pay equality.

Her other primary industry, agriculture, has a 21.6 per cent pay cap - the second worst industry for gender pay disparity.

Men make up almost two-thirds of full-time employees - a reflection of stereotypical gender roles in the family and women taking time away from work for motherhood.

The comments come after reports from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency were released on November 12 - which show women continue to be paid less than men and are far less likely to hold executive positions (stock image)

The Director of WGEA Libby Lyons highlighted improvements over the 2017-18 period but said there was still more to be done.

'Although the proportion of women in management has increased, most senior roles, especially at the CEO level, are still dominated by men,' she said.

'Again this year, there is virtually no improvement in the number of women around Australia's boardroom tables.'

'Just over 35% of the boards and governing bodies in our dataset have no female members.'