The Australian Women's Register

Fiona Richardson migrated to Australia with her parents and two brothers in 1969. She completed a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree at the University of Melbourne, majoring in Politics and Psychology. Richardson worked at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital before travelling to the United Kingdom. She returned to Australia in 1994 when she began work for the VACC, advocating on behalf of service station operators.

From 1996 Richardson worked as an Electorate Officer for Mary Gillett, Julia Gillard, Gareth Evans, Martin Ferguson and Stephen Conroy. She was elected MLA for Northcote in late 2006, and became Parliamentary Secretary for Education.

Richardson served the Victorian people as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Northcote for eleven years (2006-2017). Her important contributions to the status of women in Victoria cannot be underestimated. She oversaw the establishment of the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence in 2015, which tabled its report to Parliament in 2016.

On 25 June 2013, it was announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She went into remission and returned to parliament.

On 7 August 2017, Richardson announced she was taking medical leave from parliament.[9] On 22 August, she said she would be extending her leave after being diagnosed with several tumours and would retire at the next election,[10] but she died the next day, 23 August 2017, aged 50.