The estranged children of late Labor powerbroker Graham Richardson are trying to intervene in how his state funeral is conducted despite having had no contact with him for years.
Kate Ausden, an employment lawyer based in Western Australia, has asked to speak at the service next Tuesday, while her barrister brother Matthew Richardson SC does not want to be mentioned at all.
It is understood Ms Ausden had no contact with her father for the last nine years of his life and her older brother had not spoken to him for 20 years.
Neither Ms Ausden nor Mr Richardson has ever met their father’s youngest child, 18-year-old D’Arcy, whose mother is the former senator’s second wife, Amanda.
A family spokesman acting on behalf of Amanda told the Daily Mail that Ms Ausden and Mr Richardson had written to officials organising the state funeral at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney.
‘Kate hasn’t had any contact with her father for nine years but was offered a reserved seat at the funeral,’ the spokesman said.
‘She didn’t immediately respond but instead within six days of [her father’s] death demanded a copy of his will.
‘Subsequently she is demanding seats and the right to speak at the state funeral.’
The estranged children of late Labor powerbroker Graham Richardson are trying to intervene in how his state funeral is conducted despite having had no contact with him for years. Richardson is pictured with his second wife, Amanda
Kate Ausden, an employment lawyer, has asked to speak at her father’s funeral. Her barrister brother Matthew Richardson SC (above) does not want to be mentioned at all
Mr Richardson and Ms Ausden’s mother is their father’s first wife, Cheryl Gardner, who he married in 1973. The siblings are close to each other and to their mother.
Richardson was sensitive about the rift with his oldest children, telling a journalist in September 2011 his relationship with them was ‘strained’.
He and Amanda, who was raised in Townsville, met in about 1997, got together a decade later and married in 2012.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is on a short honeymoon after marrying his partner Jodie Haydon last Saturday, is expected to attend Richardson’s funeral, along with a host of political luminaries.
Arrangements for the service are being made by the Protocol and International Visits Branch of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
‘Matthew and Kate have both been in touch with the protocol office about what they specifically want even though Matthew hasn’t spoken to his father for 20 years and Kate for nine,’ the family spokesman said.
‘But they’re insisting on what should be done or not done at the state funeral.’
Neither Ms Ausden nor Mr Richardson has ever met their father’s youngest child, 18-year-old D’Arcy, whose mother is the former senator’s second wife Amanda. Richardson, D’Arcy and Amanda are pictured last Christmas
Kate Ausden, an employment lawyer based in Western Australia, has asked to speak at the service next Tuesday
Ms Ausden and Mr Richardson have been contacted for comment, as has the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
The department provides support and coordination for state funerals offered by the prime minister but matters such as the order of service are determined by the deceased’s family.
Mr Richardson is a defamation specialist who has acted in proceedings on behalf of accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith and alleged rapist Bruce Lehrmann.
It was widely known in legal circles that the 51-year-old had long ago distanced himself from his father, to whom he bore a striking physical resemblance.
Ms Ausden, 48, has kept a low public profile and was not even mentioned in some of the obituaries written for her father.
Richardson died aged 76 on November 8. The political commentator fell ill with influenza in September and that condition worsened into pneumonia.
Richardson had told Amanda he planned to live until D’Arcy finished his HSC. Darcy sat his final exam two days before his father died.
Richardson had battled ill health for years and Amanda had been his carer. He was first diagnosed with cancer in 1999 and had his bladder, bowel, prostate and rectum removed in April 2016.
Before he died, Richardson told Amanda he planned to live until their son D’Arcy finished his HSC exams. The couple is pictured
Albanese revealed on November 10 that Amanda had accepted his offer of a state funeral.
‘With the passing of Graham Richardson, we have lost a giant of the Labor Party and a remarkable Australian,’ Albanese said two days earlier.
‘Richo’s life was often colourful, and sometimes controversial, but what lay at the heart of it was his sense of service, underpinned by his powerful blend of passion and pragmatism.
‘He gave so much to our party, to our nation and to the natural environment that future generations will cherish.
‘Graham left the Parliament but he never left politics. He remained a thoughtful, perceptive and engaged observer, commentator and source of counsel and insight to so many, across the political spectrum.’
Albanese did not name Richardson’s oldest son or daughter in his tribute.
‘I spoke with Amanda this morning to express my condolences,’ he said in his statement. ‘She and D’Arcy and all of Richo’s family are very much in our hearts.
‘I also express my deepest sympathies to all who loved Richo, and to everyone in the Labor family who is today mourning the loss of a friend, mentor and inspiration.
Richardson arrived in Canberra as the Hawke Labor government was elected in 1983, and was an important player in both the Hawke and Keating ministries
‘May his efforts for the people of Australia be remembered, and may he rest in peace.’
Richardson was elected a senator for NSW at just 33, having previously served as the Labor party’s state general secretary.
He made ‘whatever it takes’ – the title of his 1994 memoir – a political mantra and garnered a fearsome reputation as the leader of the NSW Right faction.
Richardson arrived in Canberra as the Hawke Labor government was elected in 1983, and was an important player in both the Hawke and Keating ministries.
He held portfolios for the environment, social security, transport, communications and health and was colloquially known as the ‘Minister for Kneecaps’.
As Environment Minister, Richardson improved protection for the Daintree Rainforest and Kakadu National Park, and put a halt to the Wesley Vale Pulp Mill in Tasmania.
Richardson helped take down Bob Hawke as prime minister in 1991 after he withdrew his support.
He played a crucial role in Paul Keating’s successful leadership challenge, which cemented his reputation as a powerful player in the Labor party.
Richardson was accused of tax evasion, thanks to his relationship with stockbroker Rene Rivkin, who said Richardson had shares in the printing company Offset Alpine, which burnt down in mysterious circumstances in 1993.
He strenuously denied Rivkin’s claim, but the affair haunted him for years.
Former health minister Neal Blewett described Richardson as an ‘Antipodean Machiavelli’ and ‘the arch proponent of vested interests’.
Onetime foreign minister Gareth Evans said Richardson’s adherence to doing ‘whatever it takes’ was ‘not always a recipe for good, principled government’.
Richardson was the mayor of the athlete’s village during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and debuted his own show Richo on Sky News in 2011.
His state funeral will be livestreamed on December 9 from 11am. Doors will open at 9.30am and members of the public who wish to attend are asked to register on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website.
