Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to join other members of the House in acknowledging the life and service of the late Peta Murphy and expressing my admiration for the way she conducted herself. I know there are many in this chamber who are very deeply impacted by Peta's death—people who worked with her closely, people who were personal friends of hers. I did not have the chance to spend a lot of time with Peta. She came into the parliament in 2019, at the start of a three-year term, where COVID, amongst other things, meant that we did not as parliamentarians spend as much time together as would ordinarily happen. Because of the range of responsibilities that I was engaged with, it was just in the natural order of things that I didn't get to spend a lot of time with Peta. But I did have some interactions with her and I was certainly able to observe the way she conducted herself. I had some dealings with Peta in the context of rail projects promised in the electorate of Dunkley at a time when I was Minister For Urban Infrastructure, and she spoke up for the interests of her electorate as a conscientious and diligent local MP.

The aspect of Peta's conduct and behaviour that made the biggest impression on me, however—like, I suspect, others in this place—was the way that she conducted herself once her cancer had returned and she was fighting that on a daily basis. I was enormously impressed by her dignity and determination in carrying on her work as a member of parliament, even as the disease continued to take its toll on her. I happened to run into her in the corridor two or three months ago and mentioned to her how much I admired the way she was dealing with the cancer that was causing her so much difficulty. She of course responded in a friendly and gracious manner, and I am pleased that I managed to have the opportunity to express that sentiment to her. I know that many others in this place, across the political spectrum, feel the same way and had the chance to say that to her. My sense is that she derived some strength from the knowledge that she was widely respected across the political spectrum.

The observation I'd like to make is that, when you come into this place, there is no instruction manual on how you spend your time. Everyone of us learns from experience and makes choices and judgements along the way. Some of those are good judgements; some of them are not always good judgements. Politics is a very messy and human process. But, in the brief time that Peta had in this place, she used her time wisely. She succeeded in focusing attention on the challenge faced by people who are suffering from cancer, be it breast cancer or one of the many other cancers that afflict so many Australians. She certainly did make an impact in that work and in the other work that she did, and my own observations, as I've mentioned, of her work on behalf of her electorate when it came to infrastructure projects are absolutely consistent with the recollections and observations that many other members have shared in this debate today.

I want to conclude by expressing my condolences to Peta's partner, Rod; her family; her friends; her supporters; and all who loved and admired her. I think we can certainly conclude that, although her life was cut short far too soon, she did what many of us aim to do, which is to live a meaningful life and make a worthwhile contribution. I hope that her family and friends will take some consolation in the knowledge that Peta has made the world a better place for the things that she did through her life and work.

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