60 Minutes Australia: Richo (2017)
15If you think politics is bitter and twisted today, it’s nothing compared to when Graham Richardson strode the corridors of power. “Richo” was the numbers man back in the heyday of the Hawke and Keating governments, and there was no one tougher than this head-kicking kingmaker. Twenty-three years ago, however, Senator Richardson unexpectedly quit parliament. As it turns out, he did it because he had an even greater foe to beat: chondrosarcoma, a devastating cancer in the pelvis. At first Richo battled admirably in his fight, but last year the disease did the unthinkable and began dictating terms to a man very unaccustomed to losing. What this politician did next was both desperate and drastic.
Reporter: Charles Wooley
Producer: Sandra Odorisio