Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

What a tough day. Peta Jan Murphy—a colleague, a mate, a great sounding board and, more recently, my chamber buddy. She was taken away well before her time and certainly well before she could do all the things that she was capable of doing. Peta, as anyone who met her would attest, was as genuine as she was principled and compassionate. She oozed integrity. She stood tall for everything she believed in, and, if she believed in your cause, there was never a more fierce, dedicated and powerful advocate you could have on your side.

She was someone you could have the most serious in-dept conversations with on anything, like our discussions over the United Nations and local issues, like the work she did helping fix up the mess of the district workforce shortages for doctors in outer suburbs. But she was also someone that you could go and have a joke with—a sharp quip, a great dose of sass and always with that beaming smile and that mischievous little glint in her eye. She even made me appreciate her love of squash, but—jeez!—it was fun to wind her up about it, and, when she clicked what you were doing, generally you came off second best, because that was the kind of person she was. She was just so in-depth and intelligent and such a wonderful human being. It was an amazing privilege to be able to work with Peta.

As Brendan said today, in Peta's first speech she paid tribute to her parents, describing them as the 'most humble, principled and selfless people' she'd ever met. That was Peta to a tee, and it just proves the old adage that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Bob and Jan will be hurting now, and forever, as they begin this journey forward, a journey no parent wishes to ever have to take. I say to them that I hope they'll be able to take a moment and see what an incredible, positive impact their daughter made on this earth, both here and outside. Each of us here are better off for having the honour and privilege of having Murphy in our lives.

In Labor terms, we talk about the light on the hill. Peta was a light on the hill. She lived it, she breathed it and she espoused it. As someone from a normal, ordinary background, she had the ability to utilise her talent and dedication and, through sheer hard work, reach her goals and take advantage of all those opportunities for others. She took those opportunities she got and she opened the door to help others achieve their goals. As her battle went on, Peta drew on every strength she had. She had to make that light shine brighter for all to see. In fact, I would go as far as to say that she became a brighter light at a time when she was struggling the most with her illness. I remember saying to her once: 'Ease up a bit, mate. Give yourself a break.' But I only said that once, because Murph made it absolutely clear she didn't know how long she was going to be here but she was not going to waste a second doing the things she loved doing, which was to help those who she stood up for in this place.

I know that, if she were here right now next to me, she would be telling me to pull up, because that was Peta—humble to the core. She was an amazing person, and I know the hurt and the pain that Rod is going through now, and goes on with—and God knows I wish I could find words that would help ease that pain. We send our deepest sympathies knowing nothing we can say will remotely take away the pain that they feel and their family are feeling. I'd like to keep this short and brief because I know if I said to Peta, 'I'm going to spend 10 minutes talking about you', there would have been a pretty short two-word response, with the last one being 'off'! I want to say to Rod: it's a tough time for you and the family, but thank you for sharing Peta with us. She'll be at peace now, and I say goodbye, my friend.

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