Former New South Wales Senator and Labor Party PowerBroker, Graham “Richardson, has died aged 76.
His death was announced on Saturday morning.
The former political powerhouse – a senator for NSW between 1983 and 1994 – has had worsening health problems over the years. He was first diagnosed with cancer more than a quarter-of-a-century ago.
Richardson became general secretary of NSW Labor 27, at a time when the intraparty machinery was marked by violence.
Richardson was only 33 when he was elected senator for NSW, in the 1983 election that brought Bob Hawke to power. After the 1987 election, he was promoted to minister for the environment, and later held cabinet posts including the Sport and Social Security portfolios.
Richardson was seen as a key architect in the toppling of the Foreign Minister, in favor of Paul Keating, in 1991.
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Throughout his career, Richardson was regarded as a ruthless powerbroker in the right faction of the Labor Party. He is unofficially known as the “Minister for the knees”, such is his reputation as the Party Room Enforcerer.
Former health minister Neal Blowett described him as an “antipodean machivaellielli” and “the arch proponent of vested interests”. Former foreign minister Gareth Evans said Richardson’s willingness to do “whatever it takes … is not always a recipe for good, princely government”.
Richardson’s autobiography, published in 1994 when he resigned from the Senate is entitled to whatever is required.
While Richardson has been involved in several scandals throughout his career, he has never been found guilty of any wrongdoing.
He appeared before two royal commissions: on Party donations; And responding to a whistleblower’s allegations (later recanted) about sex on a boat in Sydney Harbour. The 1991 Marshall Islands scandal – where Richardson was said to have used his ministerial position to help his cousin – eventually forced his resignation from the cabinet. He spent the rest of his parliamentary career on the backbench.
Richardson was involved in a prostitution ring in 1994, and made a settlement with the tax office in 2008 in an unknown Swiss bank account.
Richardson served as a member of the Board of the Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, including a role as mayor of the actor’s village in the 2000 games.
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He later developed a reputation as a non-usologically firebrand media commentator.
Journalist Marian Wilkinson wrote a book on Richardson called The Fixer in 1996.
He wrote: “He is not a politician who believes in strict black and white lines; he also operates across lines.
Richardson was made an officer of the order of Australia in 2020.
He was married twice, first to Cheryl Gardner, with whom he had two children. He has another son with his second wife, Amanda, whom he married in 2007.
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