Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of the opposition to associate ourselves with the remarks of the Leader of the Government in the Senate in honouring the life of Peta Jan Murphy. I acknowledge and thank Senator Wong for her very touching tribute and remarks in this regard.

Peta Murphy was a parliamentarian who quickly earned respect across the political aisle. Her courageous battle with cancer epitomised the very best of the Australian character. The shock and sadness of Peta's passing late last year is quite evident and still rests with our colleagues in Labor and across this building. To recognise the lives of those who once served in this building is an honour and a duty, particularly those who have served alongside us—and we have done that all too often over the years. We pay tribute to those who depart us, sadly, far too soon, and it holds a great responsibility to honour their legacy.

As those in the other place have done, today, here in the Senate, we honour the legacy of Peta Murphy. When we remember the lives of those departed, we often ask central questions—what made the person the way they were? There were many factors which made Peta Murphy who she was. Born in Goulburn, raised in Wagga and a proud graduate of the public school system, Peta grew up during the Hawke and Keating governments. She spoke about her admiration for Australia's 23rd and 24th prime ministers, and the way in which, in her words, they had enlarged our national imagination. In many ways, the inspiration Peta drew from Australia's longest-serving Labor government forged her into the idealist that she was and brought to this place. It was that idealism that saw her possess an unfaltering faith in our democratic system. She had an unbreakable belief in the cauldron of Australia's national conversation, in the power of ideas and robust debates to break through the walls of robust polity.

But Peta the idealist was tempered by Peta the realist. Prior to working in and then entering politics, Peta worked as a solicitor, as a barrister and as a senior public defender. In those roles she represented, as Senator Wong has quoted, 'the damaged and the difficult, victims and perpetrators, the blameless and the blameworthy'. And through her work in the justice system and the legal profession Peta knew only too well the vicious cycle of disadvantage and dysfunction that swallows up so many lives. It was this cycle that she very clearly wanted to help break—a motivating factor for her in seeking political office.

A further factor was the rotten circumstances that were thrust upon aspects of Peta's life. Not once but twice did she find herself in the trenches battling that indiscriminate and sneaky adversary of breast cancer. Upon Peta's passing, many have referenced an interview Peta gave to Stellar magazine in late 2022 and the profound letter she wrote to her past self that was published on the website of the Breast Cancer Network Australia. Peta spoke in heartbreaking ways about her utter disappointment to have not been able to have children following her cancer treatment despite successive rounds of IVF. She compassionately put her thoughts with her husband, Rod, noting that it's no small thing for someone's partner to go through. And as a parliamentarian continuing with cancer, Peta bore burdens of mind and pains of the body that most of us will never fathom.

Only one word can come to mind through all of this, and that is 'remarkable'. Despite all she was going through and the pressures of public life, Peta so rarely dropped any aspect of her sunny disposition and was rarely devoid of a smile. To paraphrase Peta's words, she took a deep breath and she chose to use the bumps in her life's journey to make a difference as a member of parliament—and make a difference she most certainly did, living up to the ideals she set for herself. Peta worked hard for the people of Dunkley, whom she described as rich with talent and compassion.

Peta strove to make a difference to the people of our nation. She often spoke in a heartfelt and heroic way about the causes dear to her, especially the bettering of the lives of women, children and families. She sought to better many Australian lives through her extensive contributions to parliamentary committees. Of note was Peta's work as the chair of the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs in its report on online gambling. That report illuminated the harm online gambling is inflicting on our communities and children, especially from the bombardment of advertising. We should all commend that meticulous work which Peta led and had a great passion for.

Peta also made a huge difference to the women of Australia. As is well known, she received her second breast cancer diagnosis almost eight years after her first and only days ahead of giving her first speech. Using her profile as a parliamentarian, Peta engaged in unrelenting advocacy for breast cancer awareness-raising, treatment and funding. Thanks to Peta's campaigning, more Australian women will have booked in to get that check-up. Thanks to Peta's industriousness, Australian women have benefited from early detection. Thanks to Peta's endeavours, there is no doubt that there are Australian women with us today who would otherwise not be.

The brevity of Peta's life reminds us of her prophetic words in her maiden parliamentary speech, where she said: 'Life can be fragile, and we'd better make the most of it.' We all know that Peta Murphy, leaving us at the age of only 50, had much more to say, much more to contribute, much more to do. Many will wonder what the remarkable Peta Murphy would and could have done next. But in that wondering heartache, we hope people find solace in gratitude—gratitude for those who worked alongside her in this parliament, gratitude to have had someone of Peta's calibre and quality serve our country and grace this parliament, and gratitude for a life which others will look back on to inspire their own idealism and ignite their own sense of national imagination.

On behalf of the coalition and all of our members across both chambers we extend our deep and sincere condolences to Peta's beloved husband, Rod; to her mum and dad, Bob and Jan; to her sisters, Jodi and Penni; to her extended family and friends; to her staff, who worked so closely with her; and, importantly, to all of her Labor colleagues; and to her many, many friends on this and all sides. May Peta Murphy rest in peace.