Former communications minister Stephen Conroy and an ex-Socceroo goalkeeper Mark Bosnich have reflected on their friendship with the late “legend of the Labor movement” Graham Richardson, who died on Saturday aged 76.
Mr Richardson, who was a veteran Labor powerbroker, was a senior cabinet minister in the Hawke and Keating governments, a husband and a father.
He was also a contributor for 15 years at Sky News Australia.
Following the news of Mr Richardson’s death, Mr Conroy spoke to Sky News on Saturday and paid his respects to his wife Amanda and the former Labor senator’s children.
“I was lucky enough to know him for 41 years and (he was) a legend of the Labor movement,” Mr Conroy said.
“It really is impossible to overstate the importance and impact of Graham to the Labor Party.”
Mr Conroy said “Richo” had taught generations of young Labor activists that politics was “not about the purity of policy from opposition” and that he would teach colleagues the true meaning of loyalty.
He said “Richo’s” guiding philosophy was “whatever it takes” and he was “loved” by all factions of the party, left and right.
Mr Conroy said while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese fought with Mr Richardson “for decades” as opposing Labor faction leaders, he would still learn from the late powerbroker.
Albanese joined Sky News on Saturday afternoon to remember Mr Richardson as a “much loved” member of the Labor Party.
“He’s someone who I often got advice from, and he was always worth listening to,” Mr Albanese said.
“He was someone who was very much loved within the Labor party, but more broadly as well – you spoke about the family there at Sky News.”
Former Socceroo goalkeeper Mark Bosnich joined Sky News on Saturday and said he was obviously very, very sad and down” but also glad Mr Richardson was “at complete peace now”.
Bosnich, who was a very close friend with Mr Richardson, went to his bedside in hospital on Friday night and stayed with him for an hour, according to The Daily Telegraph.
The former Socceroo said the Prime Minister had summed up Mr Richardson very well by describing him as “far from perfect” but also “far from imperfect”.
“I was fortunate to first to meet him when I toured Australia in 1999 with Manchester United and … got very close to him over the last 10 or so years and he was always very, very concise, very, very balanced with his advice,” Bosnich said.
“He would always take up the underdog’s cause (and) he would do what he believed was right and he would do it to a fault.”
Mr Bosnich said the “massive Labor man” served his party “not only loyally” but during a “fantastic time” in the 1980s and 1990s.
“It really summed him up that regardless of which side of the aisle anyone was on he would always give everyone a fair opportunity to air what they thought was right and listen very, very intently to it,” Bosnich said.
“I think that marks a man very, very well that he was always willing to compromise and he was always willing to listen to the other side before he makes his decision.”
Mr Bosnich joked that he told Mr Richardson, who “loved his sport” and supported the St George Dragons, to have a backup team, but that it “summed up his loyalty” to stick with the Illawarra side.
“So may he rest in peace. I doubt that we’ll see a politician in the near future of his type of calibre, and also to have the wherewithal to get things done,” Mr Bosnich said.
“The bottom line is, in terms of politics and what he achieved … will always go down in history and I think it’s important for (Labor) to always remember him. In that way as well, because I know that meant so much to him.”
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