- Published:
- Monday 4 December 2023
All of us in the Victorian Labor family are devastated by the loss of Peta Murphy – a wife, daughter, sister and friend, a local activist, a sharp legal mind, a Federal MP, and a fighter to the end.
On behalf of the Victorian Government, I offer my deepest condolences to Peta’s husband Rod, to her close-knit family, and to those who have always loved and admired her – and always will.
When Peta Murphy gave her first speech in Parliament in 2019, she finished with a quote from Pippi Longstocking, the ‘strongest girl in the world’. Across her great career, and throughout her long fight, Peta showed us exactly what strong girls – and strong women – are truly capable of.
Peta undertook a brave and unflinching personal journey in the public eye, but kept turning up for work every day to make other people’s lives better. She lived her Labor values as a lawyer and lawmaker, and left behind a legacy.
Peta was also a fierce advocate for Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula. Her community was her paradise. She was so proud to represent it in Parliament.
She said she wished to leave Australian democracy “in better shape than when I joined it”. She has.