Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the House record its deep regret at the tragic death in office, on 4 December 2023, of Peta Jan Murphy, a Member of this House for the Division of Dunkley since 2019, place on record its appreciation of her meritorious public service in this place, and tender its profound sympathy to her family, colleagues and friends in their bereavement.

We meet today to offer our nation's condolences to all those who had the great fortune of knowing Peta Murphy. Peta Murphy was special. We offer our condolences to her devoted partner of 24 years, her husband Rod Glover, her proud parents, Bob and Jan, her dear sisters, Jodi and Penni, and her army of lifelong friends. We gather today as a parliament to mourn a great loss to our parliament. All of us in the Labor family have been left broken-hearted by the passing of our beloved Peta Murphy, and I appreciate that grief is keenly felt by many others in this place.

There are some members of parliament whose contribution earns the grudging respect of the chamber. There are others, rarer still, who win genuine admiration and real affection across the political spectrum. Peta Murphy was one of those: a fiercely loyal friend and colleague; a boss her staff adored; and a brilliant, funny, courageous and caring person who made this a better parliament because she cared so deeply about representing her community, because she believed so passionately in the power and value and responsibility of government and because she worked so hard to make Australia a better country.

Australia is a better nation for her service. In recent times, despite her endless reserve of good humour and resilience, all of us knew Peta was very ill, yet I don't think any of us were truly prepared for how it would feel to lose her. Now, as we look over to where just last week she was rising to ask questions—still representing her electorate, still championing the causes she cared about and still pushing the government she was so proud to be a part of to press on with reform—it is so hard, so cruel and so unfair to think we'll never see that bright and shining smile again, never hear that raucous laugh, never see Peta frantically moving seats and pulling faces to entertain a baby brought into the chamber for a division, never again listen as Peta, the happy warrior, wades into a debate with her trademark combination of intellect, integrity and empathy and never hear another 90-second statement praising the underappreciated greatness of the game of squash. Peta Murphy gave this parliament, our party and our country so much, but part of what we grieve for today is the fact that she had so much more to give. This is truly a loss for our nation. I have no doubt that Peta would have made a fine cabinet minister of the future.

It was so true to Peta's character that she channelled her personal battle with breast cancer into public policy. Peta continued to advocate not for herself but for others—for better treatment, more services and stronger support. She worked with Breast Cancer Network Australia to advocate for a national registry of metastatic cancer patients, and she cared so much about that initiative that she travelled to Canberra last week to try and launch the report. In all this work, Peta never once complained about the battle that she was in. She had faced cancer once already, at the age of just 37. She took time away from an already stellar legal career. As part of her recovery, she went on to win the US masters championship in squash. She took the trophy from Harvard Club back to Frankston.

She fought the good fight in Dunkley in 2016 and then won against the tide in 2019, becoming the first woman to ever hold that seat. Then Peta's cancer returned, a mere fortnight before she would give her first speech as an MP. Instead of lamenting the unfairness of this, she would talk about the privilege she had as an advocate—as someone who could raise awareness, set an example, call for action and drive change. It's important to make the point today that, for all the courage and character Peta showed in her struggle, she was so much more than what she endured.

Her deep intellect and her unwavering instinct for justice and fairness had been honed by years of service to community legal centres, legal aid and the Victorian Law Reform Commission, and it travelled right across economic and social policy. So often her deep understanding of the issue and her formidable capacity as an advocate helped make a decisive contribution. So much of the work being done to close the gender pay gap has been informed by Peta's expertise. Peta also led the charge on new reforms to minimise the harm caused by online gambling. It speaks volumes that everyone involved in that multiparty committee simply calls it 'The Murphy report'.

As a local member she was absolutely everywhere. She had an eagle eye on every local project, an encouraging word for every community organisation and every sporting club. She was a relentless champion for better services in Dunkley and a role model for women and girls—all of which is why attending a local event with Peta meant basking in her glow. I attended everything from early learning childhood centres to aged-care facilities, to the wonderful art gallery surrounded by bush in that electorate, to the Frankston shopping centres. Peta Murphy, wherever you went, was known and loved by her local community. People responded to her determination, her pride in the community, her passion to deliver, and they could sense, above all, her absolute authenticity. Her husband, Rod, talks about the way people would humbly, shyly, come up to Peta in shopping centres and at footy grounds and simply say, 'Thank you'. They could sense she cared, and so could all of us.

The courage that she showed in coming into this chamber and, indeed, making her debut, with the impact that the chemotherapy had on her physical appearance, where we talked about her coming to the Australian Open with me, which meant that she sat next to me and it meant that she would appear on TV—it was a very conscious decision that she made, that we discussed, because she wanted, for all those women in particular, but others as well, going through the experience of cancer treatment, to show that it was a fact of life. I found that incredibly courageous. Each and every day she continued to show that, which is why she consciously chose to be open, transparent and in full view of everyone.

In that extraordinary first speech of hers, shining through the shadow of the news she had just received, Peta quoted Pippi Longstocking, the strongest girl in the world. And the attitude that she brought to public life, and, indeed, to her whole working life, was very true to another piece of Pippi Longstocking wisdom: 'I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that.' That summed up Peta: fearless in the face of new challenges, bold in the service of important causes, knowing that the very nature of progress means trying things that have not been done before. A lesson for all of us—unless we try, you'll never get progress and change.

More and more, Peta would say that, while democracy must be a willing contest, it should be a clash of ideas. She also demonstrated the need to be able to respect those who disagree with you and to work with them to get things done. I think her committee work and other work in this parliament, and the fact that we're gathered here today across the political spectrum, all genuinely mourning this great Australian, says a lot about her—not just saying that but doing that and achieving that. I thank the non-Labor members in this chamber for the number of very warm messages that they've given to me, as the leader of the Labor family, whilst we mourn our family member.

Not every day in this place is an easy or uplifting one. We all experience moments of frustration. But any time you had the chance to chat with Peta you were reminded, instantly and powerfully, what an extraordinary privilege it is to serve in this place. That sense of pride and purpose lived in everything she said and did. She couldn't stand missing a day of parliament. Even when it would've been totally reasonable, at times, for her to not be here, she was here more often than she probably should have been to look after her own health. She regarded it as such a privilege, so she would apologise for any day that she missed. She believed that every minute in public life was a gift—an opportunity to advance social justice and to represent and serve the people of her electorate and our nation and, in doing so, make the greatest nation of the world even better for her contribution.

I know that, for many of us, this somehow does not feel real, and it probably won't for a while. We'll still half expect to see Peta coming through the door of the caucus room or my office, or into the chamber, with those ever-bright eyes and that glorious infectious smile that she had. There'll be moments when we'll let ourselves believe she isn't gone at all. Indeed, because of her legacy—because of what she did and what she meant—she will never be truly gone. We will keep the glow of Peta Murphy in our hearts. Those of us who met her and experienced her friendship are privileged to have done so. Let us keep her fine example of this outstanding, courageous and inspirational Australian in our minds.

We give all of our love and sympathy to Rod. It was a very difficult period for Rod, particularly over the weekend. No-one could want for a more devoted and loving partner than Rod Glover was to Peta Murphy. To her parents, Bob and Jan; to her sisters, Jodi and Penni—all of whom were able to spend that final period with Peta, and, like everything else she did in life, in passing she did it her way, in accordance with her requests and her wishes for that final period—and to her near and dear friends, including those in this chamber, we offer our deepest sympathy. To her devoted and loving staff, thank you for what you did for Peta Murphy in having the privilege of serving her and helping to look after her. May Peta rest in eternal peace.

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