‘Sad day’: Former Labor senator, media commentator Graham Richardson dies aged 76
Graham “Richo” Richardson, the former Labor senator and power broker who held various portfolios from the late 1980s to the 1990s, has died aged 76.
Richardson served as a cabinet minister in the Hawke and Keating governments and was a Labor senator in NSW during his parliamentary career.
He later became a political commentator and a regular contributor to Sky News Australia.
“In delivering his outspoken yet charismatic commentary on political issues on Sky News for almost 15 years, Richo has brought insight, expertise and depth that has enhanced the political discourse in Australia,” said Sky News CEO Paul Whittaker.
“His uncompromising style and enviable ability to report the election result, often before anyone else, has made him a key fixture of Sky News’ election night coverage, while his contributions to the network have helped make Sky News the leading destination for live political coverage today.
“Richo was an inspirational and loyal member of the Sky News team and he will be greatly missed in the newsroom and on our screens.
2GB presenter Ben Fordham called the station to break the news on Saturday.
“This was a huge shock to me,” Mr Fordham said on the programme.
“I’m a great friend of Richo’s. We were regular lunch buddies.”
“We’ve been good friends for years.”
The outspoken political power broker had struggled with health problems for years, dating back to his cancer diagnosis in the 1990s.
Richardson had bouts of flu and pneumonia and was on dialysis, Fordham said.
He is survived by his wife Amanda and son D’Arcy, who has just completed his HSC.
Sky News chief newsreader Kieran Gilbert said Richardson was a great political commentator and friend.
“We must remember the career he had, from the Labor Party machinery to the Senate.”
Gilbert said.
“He served three terms. He served in a variety of portfolios, from environment to transportation to health.”
“But his legacy is much broader than that. He has been one of the greatest political commentators for a very long time and an important part of our election nights.
“This is a sad day for all of us at Sky News, and a sad day for the Labor Party.”
Richardson was a central and at times controversial figure in NSW Labor Party politics for decades. In 1983, he became the youngest elected senator at the time.
He held various positions in the Hawke and Keating governments and is credited with securing greater protection for native forests in Tasmania, in addition to heritage listing as environment minister for the Daintree Rainforest in Queensland and Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory.
Richardson was awarded the Order of Australia in 2020 for his services to Parliament, his subsequent career as a political commentator, as well as his charitable support of the Fred Hollows Foundation and the Asthma Foundation.
More to come
