Representative Peta Murphy Contact information

Peta Jan Murphy is an Australian politician who was born on November 1, 1973. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party and has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2019 federal election, representing the Division of Dunkley in Victoria. Prior to entering parliament, Murphy worked as a solicitor, barrister, Senior Public Defender at Victoria Legal Aid, Team Leader at the Victorian Law Reform Commission, and as Chief of Staff to Labor Shadow Minister Brendan O’Connor MP.

Murphy first ran for Dunkley in the 2016 election, gaining a 4.1% swing but losing to the Liberal candidate Chris Crewther. However, she ran again in the 2019 election and won, becoming the first ALP member for Dunkley since 1996 and the first woman to ever represent the seat. Murphy is an advocate for breast screening and early diagnosis of cancer, and has worked with the Breast Cancer Network of Australia to promote better treatment and understanding of cancer.

Murphy was re-elected with an increased margin at the 2022 Australian federal election. She has also been a patron of the Frankston City Bowls Club and the Frankston Vietnam Veterans Association. Murphy has a personal history with breast cancer, having been diagnosed in 2011 at the age of 37 and again a few days after being sworn in to parliament in July 2019. She has a background in sports and has played softball in the National League and represented NSW, ACT, Victoria, and the Mornington Peninsula at the junior and senior level for squash. Murphy is a past winner of the Australian 35+y Masters Squash, the US 35+y Masters Squash, and the gold medal winner at the World Masters Games for 35+ years squash. She has also served on the board of local Community Legal Centres, Peninsula Health, and the Peninsula Waves. Murphy lives in Frankston.