Consolidating Financial Information - Schedule of Income Statement Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Revenues:
Net consumer and other product sales	$ 1,211.8	$ 1,218.8
Net investment income	10.7	20.3
Net investment losses	(33.8)	(32.0)
Insurance and investment product fees and other	0.9	2.3
Revenues	1,189.6	1,209.4
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of consumer products and other goods sold	761.8	778.1
Benefits and other changes in policy reserves	(11.6)	0.8
Selling, acquisition, operating and general expenses	321.7	330.7
Amortization of intangibles	23.6	23.6
Total operating costs and expenses	1,071.9	1,109.6
Operating Income (Loss)	117.7	99.8
Interest expense	(91.7)	(95.2)
Other income (expense), net	1.4	(0.7)
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	27.4	3.9
Income tax expense (benefit)	25.4	(5.6)
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Attributable to Parent	(25.5)	(21.8)
Net income (loss)	260.8	7.0
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent		(2.5)
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	258.8	(2.5)
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest	48.6	40.9
Net income (loss) attributable to controlling interest	212.2	(33.9)
Net income (loss) attributable to common and participating preferred stockholders	212.2	(33.9)
Consolidated Entities [Member]
Revenues:
Net consumer and other product sales	1,211.8	1,218.8
Net investment income	10.7	20.3
Net investment losses	(33.8)	(32.0)
Insurance and investment product fees and other	0.9	2.3
Revenues	1,189.6	1,209.4
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of consumer products and other goods sold	761.8	778.1
Benefits and other changes in policy reserves	(11.6)	0.8
Selling, acquisition, operating and general expenses	321.7	330.7
Total operating costs and expenses	1,071.9	1,109.6
Operating Income (Loss)	117.7	99.8
Interest expense	(91.7)	(95.2)
Other income (expense), net	1.4	(0.7)
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	27.4
Income tax expense (benefit)	25.4	(5.6)
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Attributable to Parent	2.0	9.5
Net income (loss)	260.8	7.0
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent	258.8
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest	48.6	40.9
Net income (loss) attributable to controlling interest	212.2	(33.9)
Intersegment Eliminations [Member]
Revenues:
Net investment income	10.4	14.3
Net investment losses	(5.1)	(20.3)
Insurance and investment product fees and other	0.9	0.6
Revenues	6.2	(5.4)
Operating costs and expenses:
Benefits and other changes in policy reserves	4.1	13.2
Selling, acquisition, operating and general expenses	(0.2)	0.4
Total operating costs and expenses	3.9	13.6
Operating Income (Loss)	2.3	(19.0)
Equity in net income (losses) of subsidiaries	(263.7)	(20.6)
Interest expense		(1.1)
Affiliated interest income	(1.7)	(5.4)
Other income (expense), net		(0.2)
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	(259.7)	(35.5)
Income tax expense (benefit)	4.1	(3.7)
Net income (loss)	(263.8)	(31.8)
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	0.0	0.0
Net income (loss) attributable to controlling interest	(263.8)	(31.8)
Corporate and Other [Member]
Revenues:
Net investment income	0.3	5.1
Insurance and investment product fees and other		0.9
Revenues	0.3	6.0
Operating costs and expenses:
Selling, acquisition, operating and general expenses	20.5	29.7
Total operating costs and expenses	20.5	29.7
Operating Income (Loss)	(20.2)	(23.7)
Equity in net income (losses) of subsidiaries	263.7	20.6
Interest expense	(35.9)	(35.7)
Affiliated interest income	1.7	5.4
Other income (expense), net	0.3	3.0
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	206.2	(41.2)
Income tax expense (benefit)	(6.0)	(7.5)
Net income (loss)	212.2	(33.7)
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	0.0	0.0
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest		0.2
Net income (loss) attributable to controlling interest	212.2	(33.9)
Discontinued Operations, Held-for-sale [Member]
Operating costs and expenses:
Operating Income (Loss)	0.0	0.0
Net income (loss)	258.8	(2.5)
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	258.8	(2.5)
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest	21.1	9.6
Insurance Segment [Member]
Revenues:
Net investment income		0.9
Net investment losses	(28.7)	(11.7)
Insurance and investment product fees and other		0.8
Revenues	(28.7)	(10.0)
Operating costs and expenses:
Benefits and other changes in policy reserves	(15.7)	12.4
Selling, acquisition, operating and general expenses	2.4	2.4
Total operating costs and expenses	(13.3)	(10.0)
Operating Income (Loss)	(15.4)	0.0
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	(15.4)
Income tax expense (benefit)	(3.8)	(1.3)
Net income (loss)	(11.6)	1.3
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	0.0	0.0
Net income (loss) attributable to controlling interest	(11.6)	1.3
Consumer Products Segment [Member]
Revenues:
Net consumer and other product sales	1,211.8	1,218.8
Revenues	1,211.8	1,218.8
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of consumer products and other goods sold	761.8	778.1
Selling, acquisition, operating and general expenses	299.0	298.2
Total operating costs and expenses	1,060.8	1,076.3
Operating Income (Loss)	151.0	142.5
Interest expense	(55.8)	(58.4)
Other income (expense), net	1.1	(3.5)
Income from continuing operations before income taxes	96.3	80.6
Income tax expense (benefit)	31.1	6.9
Net income (loss)	65.2	73.7
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	0.0	0.0
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest	27.5	31.1
Net income (loss) attributable to controlling interest	37.7	42.6
HGI [Member] | Discontinued Operations, Held-for-sale [Member]
Operating costs and expenses:
Net income (loss) attributable to controlling interest	$ 237.7	$ (12.1)