Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I'm really grateful for the opportunity to join the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition and say a few words about Peta Murphy, as so many have. I want to pay tribute to the member for Riverina, who has given a typically generous and beautiful speech about one of our colleagues. To those of you on the other side of politics: I feel deeply grateful to those of you that have taken the time to say something about Peta. We have to have moments in this chamber where things sit above politics, and this is one of them. I really appreciate people talking about how much she meant to all of us.

The member for Riverina talked about the Labor family—and we are a family. People outside of politics may not see this but politics is a completely all-consuming pursuit of your beliefs. It involves a level of heart and commitment that is very rare. For those of us in the Labor Party, we are a driven, idealistic, full of heart, sometimes dysfunctional but always striving to do better kind of family. Today we commemorate not just the loss of a colleague but the loss of a Labor sister—someone who fought in a battle that we believe in every day with us, and did it with such grit and steely determination. You could not find a person on any side of politics that showed the guts Peta Murphy showed in every aspect of her life.

I want to acknowledge her community around south-east Melbourne. I'm also a representative of south-east Melbourne. She represented an area around Frankston—a little bit further out than me. They have lost a very fierce advocate, the fiercest of advocates, for their local area. I extend my deepest sympathies to my friend Rod Glover. He and Peta shared a beautiful partnership and a beautiful marriage, and life is not going to be the same after this. I just want to say to you, Rod, how sorry I am. Our party has lost a sister. I have lost a friend. Peta Murphy was not just a member of our Labor family; she was the very essence of everything we stand for as a party.

I love the way Peta did politics. Whether we like it or not, I'm sure all of us can have moments when we admit that there's a bit of bulldust that surrounds our business and the things that go on in this chamber. Peta Murphy was the rawest and the realest of any of us. She had an unwavering dedication to justice in almost every step she took in her life. She was original and fearless. She had authenticity, passion and determination that was obvious to anyone who met her. You would watch Peta in her local community, and it was a beautiful thing. She really had that feeling that anyone could come and talk to her, and they did. You would walk down the main street of Frankston with her and people would come up to her constantly and check in about their problems and talk to her about their children and their mum who was struggling to get into aged care and all the other problems we deal with as members of parliament.

I think her mettle came from her personal experience—and we've heard a bit about her growing up in Wagga—but no doubt partly from the work she did as a criminal barrister, working for and defending Australians who came from some very, very hard knocks. She defended them truly and faithfully, and it takes a very special kind of person to be able to play that very important role in our justice system.

Coming to parliament, she brought all that grit and steel with her, and also a lot of fun and quick intellect, humour and smile that made working with her such a pleasure. And she achieved so much while she was here. We heard about the efforts she put into online gambling and trying to attack this awful practice which is so affecting the people she represents in this parliament. She of course did a lot of work on healthcare issues, and I want to talk a little bit about her battle with cancer in just a second.

But before I get to that, I will say that I think the enduring image for me and one that I don't think will ever leave my head is seeing Peta Murphy here in her final days of life—just to see her standing at that seat, so unwell, but coming in here in the last days of her life to represent her community. That is a level of commitment that so few people ever show in their lives, and she did it. And she stood up, so sick, to ask a question. I'm going to carry that image of her looking unwell but so powerful and standing in this very important chamber. It was an amazing thing to see.

Peta had a very personal battle with breast cancer, but it of course became a public crusade, with her second diagnosis occurring just days before she took her seat in this parliament in 2019. Breast cancer is a horrible disease. It is a horrible illness, and it takes the lives of thousands of Australian women every year. I want the many families around this country who are affected by this disease to know they had the most powerful advocate they could imagine in this chamber fighting for their rights to get proper resourcing, proper care, proper attention to this important national health problem. Peta fought for recognition and she fought to not be seen as a victim. She was so brave and strong in how she tackled this to the very last second.

Other speakers have talked about Peta's love for children, and I certainly felt that very personally. I've had three babies come with me to Canberra in that first year of their lives, and Peta's one of the enduring faces I can bring to mind—making those clown faces and getting my little babies smiling and laughing in the chamber. It's an incredibly loving thing for anyone to do, but I think that for someone who couldn't have their own children it takes a particularly big heart, and I really found that extraordinary. It was beautiful, they way she cared for our kids.

To Peta's loved ones and to everyone who had the privilege of knowing her, I just want to talk about this grit that she showed in those final days, coming back to parliament again. Politics requires a kind of grinding courage and determination. The only way to get anything done in this chamber, in this parliament, is just to get out of bed every day and fight and fight and fight. And Peta did that. She did that every day that she was a member of parliament. That's why, even in the very short time she was here as a member of parliament, she achieved so much. She was a remarkable person—a truly remarkable person. She was a dedicated public servant, she was a beloved family member, she was a cherished friend and she was our Labor sister. Vale, Peta. My greatest of sympathies to her family and to the Frankston community, who are going to miss her so very much.

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