• Australian billionaires have collectively pledged at least $54 million to wildfire relief efforts, Business Insider estimates. The largest single private donation has been from Andrew Forrest, who donated $48 million to the cause.
• To put that number into perspective, one social-media influencer said she was able to raise $700,000 for the relief efforts by selling nude photos of herself online.
• And within hours of the Notre Dame fire in April, three French billionaires had collectively pledged to donate $565 million to the cathedral's rebuilding.
• An estimated 25 million acres of Australia's brush have burned since September, killing at least 28 people, forcing hundreds of thousands of others to evacuate, and blanketing cities in dangerous smoke.
• All figures in the article below are in USD unless otherwise specified.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Jeff Bezos was slammed on Twitter after announcing that Amazon would be donating $690,000 to the wildfire relief efforts in Australia, but he's not the only billionaire whose donations — or lack thereof — are drawing criticism.

An estimated 25 million acres of Australia's brush have burned since September. The fires have killed at least 28, forced hundreds of thousands of others to evacuate, and blanketed cities in dangerous smoke — and there are still at least two months left in fire season.

In response, Australian billionaires have pledged at least $53,680,380 to relief efforts, according to a calculation by Business Insider. That estimate does not include the gifts that were made privately, including that of Australia's richest person, Gina Rinehart. Several famous Aussie multimillionaires, including Liam Hemsworth and Nicole Kidman, have pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars to relief efforts, but their donations were not included in this estimation.

Billionaires' donations pale in comparison to those made after the Notre Dame fire

Australian comedian Celeste Barber has been one of the leading voices behind the criticism of billionaires' lack of reaction to the massive fires. Barber led the largest Facebook fundraiser in the platform's history to benefit relief efforts. In just 12 days, 1,307,939 Facebook users gave more than a total of $34 million USD to the Trustee for NSW Rural Fire Service & Brigades Donations Fund on Facebook.

Only one Australian billionaire, Andrew Forrest, has donated more than that. Forrest donated $48 million, Business Insider Australia reported. 

For comparison, within hours of the fire that swept through the Notre Dame in Paris in April, three French billionaires had already pledged $565 million for restoration efforts, Business Insider's Katie Warren reported at the time. While those French billionaires — LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, Kering founder François-Henri Pinault, and L'Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers — are all significantly wealthier than anyone in Australia, the difference in reactions is one Barber was quick to highlight.

"Hey billionaires, Notre Dame burning down sucked," Barber tweeted January 7. "I get it. Times that by a trillion and that's what's happening in Australia. Feel free to flick us a quick couple of million. You make it seem pretty easy."

Billionaires' gifts have also been compared to the $700,000 USD one social-media influencer said she was able to raise for the relief efforts by selling nude photos of herself online. That would mean her contribution outnumbers that of real estate billionaires John and Pauline Gandel.

The single biggest private donation to the Australian wildfire relief totaled $48 million

Here's a look at the Australian billionaires who have pledged donations so far. All figures are in USD.

• Casino mogul James Packer was among the first Australian billionaires to donate, making two gifts totaling $3.45 million through his company and family foundation in November, The Australian reported.
• The cofounders of software company Atlassian, Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, each donated $770,000, Forbes reported.
• Real estate billionaires John and Pauline Gandel donated $690,380 to a group of organizations involved in the relief efforts, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
• Gina Rinehart — the richest person in Australia — said she "privately" donated after Barber called her out on Twitter, her spokesman said in a statement to The Daily Mail.
• Andrew Forrest donated $48 million, which is believed to be the largest private donation to relief efforts, Business Insider Australia reported. 

A handful of American billionaires have also announced plans to contribute to the relief efforts:

• Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg announced that the social network would donate $173,000 ($250,000 AUD) to the Australian Red Cross and match up to $671,000 ($1 million AUD) in donations made to GlobalGiving.
• Jeff Bezos was slammed on Twitter for donating $690,000 — roughly the amount of money he makes in five minutes — to the recovery efforts, Business Insider reported.

SEE ALSO: Australia's fires are 46% bigger than last year's Brazilian Amazon blazes. There are at least 2 months of fire season to go.

DON'T MISS: Here's how much Australia's billionaires have donated to relief efforts for the wildfires that have destroyed 25 million acres of land and have killed at least 28 people

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• Wildfires have been tearing through Australia since late July, damaging more than 3,000 homes and killing at least 28 people.
• Australians including Celeste Barber, the comedian who organized the largest fundraiser in Facebook's history for wildfire relief efforts, have criticized the country's billionaires for not donating more.
• The largest known gift from an Australian came from mining billionaire Andrew Forrest, who donated $48 million.
• Some billionaires have gotten creative with their gifts, even donating through bids on Russell Crowe's online auction for the hat he wore while cleaning his fire-damaged property in November.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Some Australians are not impressed by how their country's wealthiest citizens have responded to the country's disastrous wildfires.

An estimated 25 million acres of Australia's brush have burned since September, killing at least 28 people, forcing hundreds of thousands of others to evacuate, and blanketing cities in dangerous smoke. 

Famous Aussie multimillionaires including Liam Hemsworth and Nicole Kidman have pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars to relief efforts, but some business figures have been slower to respond publicly, leading to outrage online.  The criticism on this front has largely been led by Australian comedian Celeste Barber, who led the largest Facebook fundraiser in the platform's history to benefit relief efforts.

Barber also called out the difference in billionaires' responses to the Australian fires and the Notre Dame fire in April 2019. Within hours of that incident, three French billionaires — who, it bears noting, are all significantly wealthier than anyone in Australia — had already pledged $565 million for restoration efforts, Business Insider's Katie Warren reported at the time.

Barber tweeted: "Hey billionaires, Notre Dame burning down sucked. I get it. Times that by a trillion and that's what's happening in Australia. Feel free to flick us a quick couple of million. You make it seem pretty easy."

The criticism hasn't been limited to Australian billionaires, however. Jeff Bezos was slammed on Twitter after announcing that Amazon would be donating $690,000 — roughly the amount of money he makes in five minutes — to the recovery efforts, Business Insider reported.

Here are the donations Australian billionaires made to recovery efforts, listed in chronological order. Business Insider will be updating this list as new donations are made.

SEE ALSO: Australian billionaires have donated at least $54 million to wildfire relief efforts. Here's how that stacks up to billionaires' donations after the Notre Dame fire.

DON'T MISS: How Meghan Markle and Prince Harry could earn enough money to become 'financially independent' of the crown — and why it likely won't include a return to the screen

Casino mogul James Packer was among the first Australian billionaires to donate, making two gifts totaling $3.45 million through his company and family foundation.

Total donation: $3.45 million ($5 million AU)

Net worth: $3 billion

Packer was one of the first billionaires to donate to the relief efforts, giving the New South Wales Rural Fire Service $690,000 ($1 million AU) in November, The Australian reported. Packer added an additional $2.76 million ($4 million AU) to his gift on January 6, only part of which will come from his personal foundation.

"Australians are digging deep to support each other in these tough times, it's truly inspiring," Packer said, according to The Australian. "My family and Crown are eager to do more and the best way we can help, is to significantly increase our donation."

Packer built his $3 billion fortune running the casino chain he inherited from his father, Crown Resorts, according to Forbes.

The cofounders of software company Atlassian, Michael Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, each donated $770,000.

Total donation: $770,000 each ($1.1 million AU)

Net worth: $9 billion each

Cannon-Brookes and Farquhar's first $70,000 donations were made through a charity auction for the hat Russell Crowe wore while cleaning his fire damaged property in November, Forbes reported. They subsequently promised to match the $700,000 donated by their company's charitable foundation, Forbes reported.

The pair built their multibillion-dollar fortunes as the cofounders and co-CEOs of collaboration software-maker Atlassian, according to Forbes.

On December 27, real estate billionaires John and Pauline Gandel donated $690,380 to a group of organizations involved in the relief efforts.

Total donation: $690,380 ($1 million AU)

Net worth: $3.8 billion (John Gandel)

The gift will be split between the Australian Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and St Vincent de Paul Society, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Pauline Gandel made in headlines last January when she criticized other ultra-wealthy Australians for not giving away more of their wealth while receiving an award on Australia Day in 2019, The Financial Review reported. "I hope to inspire others to be generous and improve our society," Pauline Gandel told The Financial Review.

John Gandel built the couple's $3.8 billion fortune running women's clothing retailer Sussan, but later pivoted to commercial real estate, according to Forbes. The billionaire is now part-owner of Melbourne megamall Chadstone.

On January 8, Gina Rinehart said she "privately" donated after being called out on Twitter.

Total donation: unspecified

Net worth: $15.6 billion

Barber called out Rinehart by name for not making a public donation. "Hey Gina Rinehart where the hell are you and all your money?! If you're in Hawaii on a family holiday I'm going to flip a f------- table," Barber tweeted.

Rinehart responded to the attack through a spokesperson, saying that she had made a private donation. "(Mrs. Rinehart) is most concerned that the true causes of this sad devastation are tackled, rather than missed in the rush to blame climate change," the spokesman said in a statement to The Daily Mail January 8 that also mentioned regulations on building dams and land clearing.

Rinehart, the executive chairman of iron miner Hancock Prospecting, has a $15.6 billion fortune and is the richest person in Australia, according to Forbes.

On January 9, Andrew Forrest made what is believed to be the largest private donation by an Australian to relief efforts.

Total donation: $48 million ($70 million AU)

Net worth: $8.9 billion

The Western Australian-based billionaire pledged to donate $70 million through his philanthropic organization, Minderoo Foundation, Business Insider Australia reported. 

The first round of funds, $10 million, will be spent immediately on disaster relief efforts, Business Insider Australia reported. The rest will be used to organize volunteers and fund future fire prevention efforts.

"We recognise that we don't have all the answers, but we want to understand what communities need and do our bit to help them now and as they regroup in the coming months," Forrest said, according to Business Insider Australia. 

Forrest built his fortune off Minara Resources, the mining company he founded in 1994, according to Forbes.

Members of the Murdoch family pledged $9 million amid public outrage over how their news outlets covered the fires.

Total donation: $6.2 million ($9 million AU)

Net worth: $20 billion combined

Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, his wife Jerry Murdoch, son Lachlan Murdoch and daughter-in-law Sarah Murdoch teamed up to pledge $4 million of their personal funds to relief, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Their company, News Corp, pledged an additional $5 million AU, according to The Herald. Days earlier, a News Corp employee spurred public outrage by accusing the organization of leading a "misinformation campaign" with "irresponsible" and "dangerous" coverage of the wildfire disaster in a leaked email.

"I find it unconscionable to continue working for this company, knowing I am contributing to the spread of climate change denial and lies," the email read, according to The Herald. "The reporting I have witnessed in The Australian, The Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun is not only irresponsible, but dangerous and damaging to our communities and beautiful planet that needs us more than ever to acknowledge the destruction we have caused and start doing something about it."

In response, News Corp executive chairman Michael Miller told The Herald that the company stands by its coverage of the bushfires: "The dedication and professionalism of our journalists and photographers have kept the community — particularly those Australians affected directly — informed and supported. We respect Ms. Townsend's right to hold her views but we do not agree with them."

Kerry Stokes and his son Ryan announced they would be donating to the relief efforts in a memo to employees, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on January 16.

Total donation: $6.9 million ($10 million AU)

Net worth: $3.6 billion

Stokes built a multibillion-dollar fortune running the Seven Group Holdings investment group, which owns media outlets and mining companies, according to Forbes.

Stokes and his son Ryan announced the pledge in a memo to his employees, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. "We believe the combination of our financial resources, our industry-leading equipment and our team's motivation and skills is the most effective contribution we can make," the memo read, according to The Herald. Stokes also gave employees volunteering with local fire services paid leave and offered local officials use of the company's equipment.