Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

I want to acknowledge everybody who's spoken in the debate so far and particularly thank those who are not government members of parliament who have spoken in this debate and offered their condolences to the Labor Party generally as well. There have been some beautiful speeches, and it's deeply appreciated.

I also want to acknowledge what the member for Gippsland did. We're very good in this place at saying nice things about people when they're not in the room. To have had that moment in 90-second statements when you delivered a speech with complete generosity and love, effectively on behalf of all of us, was a real gift to the chamber and the only one of these speeches that Peta got to hear. So I want to acknowledge that with deep appreciation.

First speeches are always powerful, but I'll never forget the moment Peta let us know, in amongst jokes about her love of squash, that the cancer had returned. So, for effectively Peta's entire time as a member here, we knew there was a risk of today, and yet Peta acted like there wasn't, in so many ways. Sometimes we talk, when someone passes way, about a candle having been extinguished, but Peta Murphy was no candle. This was the entire New Year's Eve fireworks display, with all the colour, vibrancy and thunder of it.

At 90-second statements, you can always rev up the other side and your own with a bit of anger or shouting, and different people do that at different times. But Peta would come in with a relaxed smile, stand her ground and this room would ignite. And policy changes would happen. It's already been referred to—that speech she gave with respect to a wild policy that had been floated by the previous government with respect to superannuation. Peta came in, 90 seconds—smashed it. We never heard of the policy again. And that policy strength from Peta is something that I am so deeply grateful for. I'll say a bit more about arts policy, but let me start with workplace relations.

When Peta worked here as a staffer for Brendan O'Connor, the member for Gorton, a whole lot of the election commitments we are now delivering will forever have Peta Murphy's fingerprints all over them—in particular, I say, what has been the most heated of all of them, whether you want to call it labour hire loophole or same job, same pay. That policy was announced by Bill Shorten when the member for Gorton was the shadow minister. The consultation, paperwork—right from the start, Peta Murphy was all over it. As that bill finds its way through parliamentary debate—not as quickly as I'd hoped—I am very mindful that, while I've had the honour to be the one to bring it into this House as the minister, the work started a long time before me, and a whole lot of it is very much owned by Peta Murphy.

I want to, obviously, extend condolences to Rod and extend condolences to her staff. It is sometimes said in this place, certainly never by me—as this concept of who has a real job and who doesn't, staffers are often on the list. If someone's a staffer, that somehow is not a real job. The staff in this place work so unbelievably hard, and Peta's staff, in a marginal seat, making sure that every single constituent, group and inquiry is respectfully dealt with and resolved, are doing an incredible service in democracy and were doing so under Peta's leadership. Our deep condolences to you.

I want to tell just one story, and it's one story that I know no-one else has told today because this one is mine to be able to tell. Peta used to get me down to the McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery quite a bit, a beautiful gallery in her electorate. We'd get there, we'd do a little tour—some beautiful artworks there—and then Peta would organise what she'd call a roundtable, but it was always a packed house, with the sorts of crowds that only Peta Murphy could draw. You'd have a couple of speeches and then a Q&A. Branch members would be there. Former members of parliament would be there. A series of artists and performers would be there. And the Q&A happened in this form—and there are some photos that I never shared; I'll share them later today. I'm going to read the script. I got the office to pull it out because we recorded the Q&A at the time, not realising it would ever be used for a purpose like this. Peta Murphy: 'I also just want to make it clear that I am not in the parliamentary band, despite the fact that I have told Tony a number of times that I was chosen to play the glockenspiel at the Wagga choral festival when I was in grade 6. It may be because they didn't want me to sing, but I still played the glockenspiel "By the rivers of Babylon".' I responded, 'Ah, can we settle something now?' Peta, realising what I was up to, said no and laughed, to which I responded: 'What are you doing Tuesday night or Wednesday night? Only the other day I bought a new instrument for the band, and it's a glockenspiel.' At that point, the people of Dunkley applauded. I said, 'Seriously?' Peta responded indignantly with these words: 'But I'm a published poet.' I said, 'You're going to want to play with us on Wednesday night.'

Jimmy Barnes was going to join us—he ended up being sick on the day—but, at that point, I said: 'We're playing with the Wiggles and Jimmy Barnes. Should I write a glockenspiel part?' The whole room cheered. Peta said, 'I don't know how to play "Flame Trees" on the glockenspiel.' I said: 'No, we're doing "Long Way to the Top". So is Peta in the band?' The crowd said yes, and there was thunderous applause. Peta then responded: 'My husband just walked in. He's going to say to me, "I've told you a million times, Peta: think before you speak."'

On the Tuesday night and the Wednesday night, Peter knew what would happen when we got to the end. We did this really bizarre merging of Blur's song '2' with 'Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car', and there's a moment at the end of song '2' where I had Peta furiously, as quickly as possible, play C sharp and F sharp at the same time. So she came, sat in the back corner, practised and played it all right. Then, on stage, she insisted that she not be miked. No microphone was there—you had to listen pretty hard to hear the glockenspiel—but, dutifully, on stage in the Great Hall with the Wiggles and Dorothy the Dinosaur, Peta was there with her glockenspiel playing with the Wiggles and going all the way through to 'Long Way to the Top'.

The joy and fun of it are in pictures that I have got of her on stage hamming it up. There are also pictures afterwards of her chatting to Simon and Lachy from the Wiggles. She didn't want to be there at all, but, once she decided she was in, she was all in, with that smile that we know and, as I said, with that part of the fireworks display with the thunder and the noise that, when you watch it, you don't really think will ever come to an end.

For the changes that are only happening because of Peta and for the joy that she has given all of us in so many ways, our thanks and our love go to her, as well our dedication that the flame of not only Peta, as a beautiful person, but also the causes that she represented never goes out.

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