Local Heroes Meet Peta Murphy

2.5.2023

By Maureen Rodgers

Hiromi Hampton from Little Swap & Share Pantry Langwarrin said that she is inspired by Peta Murphy MP Federal Member for Dunkley because she uses her position to help her community and support people who are struggling. Hiromi said that Peta treats everyone equally. So, I decided to have a chat with Peta in her office in Frankston to learn more about her.

It turns out that Peta was raised on 17 acres in country NSW in Wagga Wagga. Raised by hard working parents, Peta was taught the importance of hard work, education, and perseverance. They taught her and her two sisters to “take the opportunities that come your way, particularly education, and to never take anything for granted because not everyone gets the opportunities that you’ll get.”

Through our conversation it became evident that Peta certainly lived up to her parents’ wishes and made the most of all opportunities. I was speaking with someone who was sporty, fiercely competitive, compassionate, hardworking, and super intelligent. Most people settle for one degree, but Peta’s resume is impressive. She has a Degree in Science, Double Major Psychology, a Law Degree and a Masters in Criminology!

Peta explained that she is passionate about sport and gender equality in sports. She played most sports growing up but went on to competitive and elite sports. One of her proudest moments was winning an international squash tournament at Harvard University in Boston in 2011. She lived in San Francisco for three months while recovering from her first battle with breast cancer and believed that the training and sport played a big part in her recovery.

Peta’s proudest achievement is getting elected to parliament and supporting the community through covid. Peta passionately said, “It’s a great job, the best job you could ever have.” She enjoys advocating for her community in Federal Parliament and makes a positive difference for Australians now and for the future. She also enjoys attending local events and is inspired by the amazing people she meets. Peta said that hardest thing was not being able to help everyone because change can take time.

Peta’s journey to politics further demonstrates her perseverance and work ethic. She believes that if you are not happy with how things are, you should do something about it, and that is just what she has done. After being involved with the Labor party for over ten years and working as a lawyer, she ran for Dunkley in 2016. Although she did not win, Peta found the experience was so enriching and had developed close connections to the community. She decided to give it another go in 2019 and won!

She said, “I’m not very good at giving up. You can’t take failure as meaning you’ve got to stop. Sometimes you take it as a learning experience and something that can make you better the next time you have a go.”

Peta is proud that she is the first women to ever represent Dunkley in the Federal Parliament. She explained that the electorate was named after a female unionist, feminist activist, and fighter for equality. She is also passionate about gender equality and would like to set an example for young women. Peta said, “not because I’m special, but so young women see me and think it’s just normal to have a woman in a position in leadership, because it hasn’t been that way in the past.”

Peta (like so many of us), loves the City of Frankston because of its diverse environment. It has beautiful beaches, parks, fauna, and flora. Frankston can also boast a vibrant arts and sporting culture. People here are proud of where they come from. When she’s not busy serving her community, Peta loves to spend time cuddling her two loyal beautiful Labradors (Ernie and Bert).