Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

There's been a lot said today about the wonderful life of Peta Jan Murphy. I'm filled with an immense emptiness and sorrow at the circumstances, the reason we have all lined up to celebrate, to commemorate, to mourn and to honour the life, the legacy and the passing of our colleague, the member for Dunkley.

Losing such a guiding light, a beacon in this place, you seldom wonder why things feel darker in here for it no longer contains the beaming glow of her presence. It was only mere days ago when Peta graced this chamber and this building with her boundless presence, her sharp wit and her sense of humour lagging not far behind her infectious smile.

Peta did not allow her illness to define her. Instead, she used her experiences and her platform to advocate for better healthcare policies, to raise awareness and to support others going through similar struggles. Selfless is one of the many words others and I would describe Peta as being—selfless to the very end. Even during her toughest times, she remained focused on her responsibilities and her duty to the people of Dunkley, driven by an unwavering desire to make a difference. It takes a certain kind of person to persevere in the face of that kind of adversity and doing so in a very public setting. But Peta did so with the same grace and tenacity with which she sailed past every hurdle that waited in front of her. For this alone, this 47th Parliament, including all those that work within it, around it and adjacent to it, and the federal parliamentary Labor Party—including me—are poorer for losing Peta's presence in this place.

At the very same time, I know that we are all richer for having been able to bask in the friendship, the counsel, the kindness of her heart and the sheer breadth and depth of her mind that Peta has shared with us all in one way or another. The rare and marvellous thing about Peta, both in life and in tributes to it, has been the remarks made about her by those from all sides of politics. Both in Hansard and in private, the notable part has been the consistency of those words. What you saw was what you got with Peta—a rare trait not only to possess but openly display from within this building. Those who knew Peta, from the squash court to the law court to merely holding court with Peta in her time as the member for Dunkley, you'd have known a proud, talented and thoroughly sanguine individual who would always give you the time of day to speak to your own passions just as much as she would be relentless about her own.

Gambling reform was an area of policy dear to her heart, with the Alliance for Gambling Reform's Chief Advocate, Reverend Tim Costello, calling her a champion of that cause, namely for her work to reform online gambling. As such, I find it quite fitting that, although Peta never made a valedictory address to this place, some of her final speeches in this place comprised contributions to legislation concerning the regulation of online gambling.

Some people choose their time when they leave this place. Others know that they have to choose what they do with their time wisely and make sure their impact is both effective and profound. Peta, you've made a profound impact on all of us which, at the same time, makes this all the more difficult. A little bit of that collegiality was on display last Tuesday, just before question time, courtesy of the member for Gippsland, with his jovial yet bittersweet statement to the House, honouring Peta whilst weathering her interjections upon the member for Gippsland questioning whether squash was, indeed, a sport. It's certainly one of those rare moments the public doesn't usually get to witness in lieu of the rough-and-tumble of question time. Sometimes I think that it's those moments that we shouldn't keep secret from the Australian public.

Whilst I'm saddened in the realisation that I'll never hear Peta's voice in this chamber again, making well-reasoned points, often in unassuming rapid-fire succession—especially against the member for Riverina during an MPI—I'm all the richer for these experiences and I will forever cherish being lucky enough to be in her presence, soaring far above the rest of us.

As is often the case with condolence motions, they are made in honour of giant figures of yesteryear. Whether their contributions have made them larger-than-life figures or whether they were impactful yet unassuming, we often forget that we stand shoulder to shoulder with both every single day. I will cherish those days that I stood with Peta in this place and will continue doing so during rare, quiet moments that this job sometimes allows for.

In celebrating the life of Peta Murphy, let us remember her for not just the policies she championed or the speeches she made but the lives she touched, the communities she uplifted and the difference she made. Let us remember her for her kindness, her warmth and her indomitable spirit. Peta's legacy is not just something that is recorded in the Hansard but is one that exists in the hearts and minds of the people she represented, the lives she improved, the positions she changed and inspired. Peta is absolutely right about a number of things from her first speech back in 2019. Whether she knew it at the time or not, Peta would, in no shadow of a doubt, be known as one of the strongest of them all—certainly amongst all of us. And secondly, this has truly been quite a journey for a public school girl from Wagga, and what a remarkable journey it has been for a remarkable woman, a remarkable colleague and a remarkable friend. Rest in peace, Peta.

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