People   >   Graham Richardson

• Former Labor Senator for NSW

• Former Federal Minister for the Environment and the Arts, Sport, Tourism, Territories, Social Security, Transport, Communications and Health

• Former Vice-President of the Executive Council

• Prominent political commentator and newspaper columnist

The Hon Graham Richardson AO, better known simply as “Richo”, is widely considered one of Australia’s sharpest and best-connected political commentators.

Richo has been a central figure in NSW Labor politics for more than 50 years, carving out a reputation as a numbers man for the NSW Right before becoming ALP State Secretary and later entering the Senate in 1983.

Richardson held several portfolios as Minister and is best remembered for securing increased protection for native forests in Tasmania, as well as the world heritage listing of Queensland's Daintree Forest and Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory.

In 2020, Richardson was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the Parliament of Australia, his subsequent career as a political commentator, as well as his philanthropic support of the Fred Hollows Foundation and the Asthma Foundation.

Currently, Richardson is a political commentator across all programs on Sky News, writes for The Australian newspaper and is a sought-after commentator for election night television coverage.

People   >   Graham Richardson