Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

There is a Dolly Parton quote that I really love, which is 'Find out who you are and do it on purpose.' I think that is a really magnificent way to live a life, and I can't think of anyone who embodied that maxim better than Peta Murphy. She knew who she was and she did it with purpose every single day. She was a very singular person—authentic, empathetic, fierce and fun. She had real purpose in all she did, whether it was representing her community and fighting for the best for everyone in her electorate or whether it was through her extraordinary work advocating for women's health and better cancer care and through the application of her very fine mind to policy problems and issues of justice. Peta was driven, determined, and made a difference.

Winning a seat off an incumbent is not an easy task, and Peta's determination in 2019, after an enormous campaign in 2016, was absolutely incredible. I was one of the hundreds of union members who volunteered on Peta's campaign, knocking on doors and speaking to people in the community about why she would be the most tremendous member for Dunkley. The fortitude required to campaign in the way she did in two elections was unbelievable. But, of course, Peta was possessed with that fortitude, and she did it and she won in 2019. Her community saw how profoundly she cared, how hard she worked, and at last year's election she won again and with an even greater result. I think, for a lot of us who have to campaign to win seats off incumbents, Peta was an inspiration. Her campaign was the absolute master class in how to win a seat off an incumbent, and I'm not sure I conveyed that strongly enough to her. She was then the gold standard for being a local member and was truly remarkable in the way she had such energy to serve her community, even though she was going through her own personal health struggles.

For the short time I've been here, I benefited from Peta's wisdom. Navigating politics, navigating a first term, is not something that is easy. But Peta did take the time to talk to me and give me valuable advice. And her advice was not to preach about doing things in a particular way, or the way she had, but to find the way that worked for me and that allowed me to do the things I wanted to do in this place and in and for my community. Her sharp intellect, her big heart and the way she had of communicating so clearly, without leaving room for any doubt about her meaning, made Peta such a wonderful colleague and a very special person in Australian public life. Continuing the fights that mattered so much to Peta—to improve our health system and to tackle the problems with gambling in this country, and inequality—is something that is important for all of us to do.

Peta's values placed people at the heart of all she did, and her vision meant that she could serve in a way that changed this country and her community for the better. It seems quite magical that a seat named for Louisa Dunkley, a tenacious trailblazer, had, as the first woman to represent it, Peta Murphy.

It is so fitting that Peta quoted the inimitable, dynamic Pippi Longstocking in her first speech. Pippi was the strongest girl, a girl who saw the world in her own way, who was always herself—and so was Peta. Clearly, Peta was so loved, and will remain so loved. My thoughts and all my love go to her partner, Rod, her family, her friends and her staff. This is a really difficult time, and we are wrapping our arms around all those people who cared so deeply for Peta and who she cared for too. I acknowledge the members of the class of 2019 in the chamber now.

Rest in peace, Peta. It was an absolute honour to have known you. And I, like so many, will continue to be inspired by the legacy you have left behind.

See this speech in context