Ex-bankrupt Bond is now worth $265m
Bond, who hit rock bottom in 1992, earns his spot on the 2008 BRW Rich 200 list mainly through interests such as holdings in Madagascar Oil and Lesotho Diamond Corporation.
The former media proprietor last made the list in 1989, after peaking in 1987 at fourth spot with $400 million.
His return to the 200 comes eight years after he was released from jail and coincides with the Packer family losing its spot atop Australia’s annual rich list for the first time in 20 years.
The mantle of Australia’s richest person now belongs to iron ore king Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest.
Thanks to the rising fortunes of iron ore miner Fortescue Metals, Mr Forrest has amassed an unprecedented $9.41 billion, according to the list released today.
But his billionaire mate, media and gaming boss James Packer, has slid back to third position with $6.1 billion wealth, and is the first time in two decades that a Packer has not held the top spot.
Westfield co-founder Frank Lowy is the nation’s second-richest person with $6.3 billion, retaining his number two position from last year.
Australia’s richest woman is again iron ore magnate Gina Rinehart, who makes it into the fifth spot, with her fortune growing from $4 billion to $4.39 billion this year.
Soaring iron ore prices could mean she makes the top spot within five years, BRW says, with Ms Rinehart’s contribution helping to push the total wealth of women on the list to $10.86 billion.
But as the resources sector has boomed, the global credit crunch has played havoc with the fortunes of others - with some high-profile exits from the top 200.
ABC Learning entrepreneur Eddy Groves, whose wealth crumbled in the face of falling share prices and margin calls, has been bumped off the list altogether, as has the former executive chairman of Allco Finance Group, David Coe.
New entrants to the Rich 200 include many from the rural sector, such as cattle station owner Sterling Buntine, who came in at 118 with $338 million, contributing to the list’s overall wealth of $139.6 billion, up from $127.6 billion last year.
Australia now boasts 38 individual billionaires, rising from 30 last year, with five people joining the club for the first time.
The youngest man on the list is 32-year-old Nathan Tinkler, a former shareholder of Macarthur Coal, who is ploughing his $426 million fortune into the racing industry.