Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Community Safety, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to express my grief and sorrow at the devastating loss of a remarkable individual, the member Dunkley, Ms Peta Murphy. It seems quite bizarre that I was sitting just over there last week when Peta stood up and asked a question in parliament. I looked over and thought, 'She looks gravely ill.' But I also thought, 'Well, she can't actually be here if she's that sick.' Then I spoke to one of the Labor ministers and confirmed she was in a really bad way. The incredible character Peta showed just to be here in parliament was quite amazing, and she could've been anywhere else. She could've been at home and she could've been trying to enjoy life as best she could. But she showed dedication right to the end.

I know she wanted to deliver a report on breast cancer, but she couldn't quite get there. But, in saying that, she did actually get there. The reason I say that is that I was explaining to my little daughter, Jasmine, who's only nine, about Peta, about breast cancer and about how her grandmothers have both had it. I said, 'We just need to make sure as many women as possible, including your mum, get tests et cetera.' As we heard the Prime Minister and also the opposition leader say, how many lives has Peta saved by making women more aware of the need to go and get screened?

I extend my deepest condolences to Peta's husband, Rod, and to her parents, family members, friends and especially colleagues. It's a very emotional day, I see, for so many Labor members of parliament because they were obviously very close to Peta and they knew what she was going through every day. On what Tanya was saying just before, living with someone with cancer is a really tough time, and I know most people in this place probably have; I lived with my father. For Peta to come up here and bat on like nothing was happening was quite incredible. I thank the member for Gorton—Peta was his former chief of staff—and also the member for Gippsland for the speeches they made today. So many members of the government are really hurting. I know Peta's staff are here today and are hurting too. The member for Menzies said he was at committee hearing and saw blood coming out of Peta's nose, and she wiped it away like such is life. It's quite incredible that she just batted on right to the very end. Her legacy does live on, through the online gambling inquiry and just being a member of parliament who represented so many people, especially in her seat of Dunkley.

I must say we did try to win that seat back in 2022, and I went to the Shri Shiva Vishnu Indian temple down there. We had a very good candidate too, but I made a phone call to party headquarters afterwards and basically said, 'You're not going to win the seat.' She was really popular on the ground and in serving her community. I remember, when I was first elected, a former member of parliament said to me, 'The party wins it for you the first time around, and the second time you do it by yourself.' Peta had a swing to her of 3.5 per cent, and there was a big campaign launch by the Liberal party against Peta, but it was a waste of time because she was so highly regarded in the local community. And, if you look at her background prior to entering politics, Peta's professional career as a solicitor, a barrister and a senior public defender enabled her to understand the struggles of individuals at their lowest point. That's probably what made her such a great fighter. It was these experiences that ignited her passion for political office, compelling her to work tirelessly to break the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage and hardship. That is the perfect person you want as a member of parliament.

I remember one time I was on chamber duty and Peta stood up and made a passionate speech about kids' cancer and getting some support for a rare drug, and I'd had a similar experience many years ago. So basically I told her how you lobby a cabinet minister to get on your side. What I love about Peta is she was just soaking it all in: 'Okay, what I need to do and how do we need to go about it?' She was really keen to help others. I said: 'You're the sort of person who can make it happen. Just go in there because you're so passionate.'

To have two battles with breast cancer—when you saw Peta, you kind of just assumed that she was going to be here forever, because she had had cancer and she was surviving and in remission. But obviously that wasn't the case, and it's just such a sad thing to see somebody who is at the age of 50, in public life, a fantastic member of parliament, a fantastic leader for women and young girls all around the country sadly be taken away in her prime. It's one of those things where you think, 'You sometimes get the rough draw in life.' Again I thank Peta for what she did. Also again I say to all Labor Party colleagues: I know it's a really tough day at the office when something like this happens. From what I saw last week, I wasn't expecting to be here this week making this speech. Rest in peace.

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