Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

We're all so deeply saddened at the passing of our friend and colleague Peta Murphy. We've heard so many speakers on both sides talk about her life and her contribution to this place and to her community, and you get this theme that has come through around Peta being a fighter, a warrior, both in this place, in the parliament, but also in her electorate of Dunkley. I think maybe she was a warrior more in the sense of a person engaged in a struggle, in a just cause or a struggle, not just for herself, although she obviously struggled and fought her own health battles. Her real struggle was for others, in helping others have a better life. You couldn't have asked for a more dedicated and passionate member of parliament, or local member. The strength and determination in which Peta approached all the issues that were close to her heart, that she was passionate about, was nothing short of inspiring. We all remember—and we discussed this as recently as last week—how we saw her standing there, asking questions in the House, raising awareness about the issues that mattered deeply to her.

Despite her own health battles and her own struggle—which she fought with such great determination and grit like the sporting champion that she was, with that tenacity that she had—she maintained an unwavering focus on helping others rather than herself. It wasn't about herself; it was about all the people she could help in her community, nationally and in the issues that matter to her, particularly through her support for those with breast cancer and all the work she did in advocating and fighting for that national registry for metastatic cancer patients, with the report being launched last week. A couple of previous speeches have quoted this her maiden speech when, just weeks after discovering her cancer had returned, she said: 'I am someone who has a platform that can be used to benefit others. And … I intend to use it.' And use it she did. She really did.

From my perspective, as a friend and a colleague of Peta's, I have to say that, personally, it was just a privilege to know her as a person and to have spent time with her. She had a really sharp legal mind—she was very good at that—and I will be always grateful for the time she generously shared her insight with me. I will miss the times we were in meetings together when someone would say 'Peta' and we would both start speaking. Of course, it was always referring to the smart one—which was, naturally, Peta—not the hairy one—which was me. I will miss that laughter that we shared. There has been a lot of reflection around Peta's legacy. We've been reminded of a woman who had unparalleled strength, resilience and compassion, and the impact that she had not only on her community but also on the broader and national community, given the policy work that she did, both local and national. It's a mark of a really good member of parliament, a really good representative in a democracy. I don't think you can really measure that impact—there are no real metrics for that—but we all know it. We all know what kind of contribution she made. We understand it.

My condolences go out to Rod Glover. He and I worked together as staffers a long time ago. I know he's feeling a lot of pain right now. Condolences to her family, her sisters, her parents, all of her friends, all of her loved ones, and all of the people in her community who had the privilege of knowing and working with her as we had. Peta, we're going to miss you very deeply. We're going to miss you in this place. We're going to miss you being around. Peta, I hope you rest in eternal peace. I know that all the contributions you have made to our society, to our nation and to your community will continue to inspire generations to come. Rest in peace, Peta Jan Murphy.

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