Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I want to add my words to the condolence motion for Peta Murphy, the member for Dunkley. Of course, my first comments will be to offer my sincere condolences to Peta's husband, Rod; her mum and dad, Jan and Bob; and her sisters, Jodi and Penni. With the passing of Peta, so many people in our community and in our country have lost a role model, someone to look up to, someone to aspire to be like. Of course, so many people in this place, including me, have lost a dear friend.

I first met Peta when she was working for Brendan O'Connor. When she was in that role, I was first struck by her enormous tenacity, no-nonsense approach and desire just to get things done. That attitude really prevailed as she ran and didn't win her first attempt at the seat of Dunkley. But she got up, knew what she wanted to do, ran again and was successful. That passion and commitment to her community was always on display every time I visited her, whether it was at the Langwarrin Skatepark, where she'd run a campaign to upgrade it—it was pretty dire when we saw it, and that was a wonderful campaign with the community to upgrade the skatepark—or it was at the Lyrebird Community Centre. It was like she was part of that community centre when she visited. She knew everyone there and fought so tirelessly for that community centre. And when we visited the Carrum Downs Early Learning Centre she, again, was really part of the community there and so loved.

Of course, she came to this place with that same no-nonsense attitude, that tenacity, that desire and that impatience to get things done. She applied her passion and also her deep intellect to her work here in getting good outcomes for Australia, as well as for the community. She was always thinking about people that needed our help, people that needed our assistance, people that needed government, and she was always thinking of ways to contribute to that. Her most recent work was on the House of Representatives gambling inquiry, and, when you look back at those hearings, she was always standing up, talking and asking questions on behalf of people that had been harmed by online gambling. She was a true inspiration to many of us and a dear friend to me. She will be deeply missed by so many people—a life taken too soon.

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