The House of Representatives has paid tribute to the late Senator Linda White and the late Peta Murphy MP, remembering the strong legacy of women in politics they left behind.
Jodie Belyea MP, who recently won the byelection in the Victorian electorate of Dunkley, was sworn in during Question Time today. She replaces Peta Murphy, who died at the age of 50 after a long battle with cancer in December last year.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed Belyea into the chamber, saying the “excitement and pride” she feels is shared with “all the people who believed in you – including the late Peta Murphy”.
“It was the byelection no one wanted to happen,” the Prime Minister said.
“We remind ourselves of the extraordinary loss that this parliament had, and that the community of Dunkley suffered.
“Peta Murphy did some incredible things, including recruiting Jodie (Belyea) to the Labor party.”
The Albanese government is the first to reach gender parity: 53 per cent of the caucus are women.
The Prime Minister said he is thrilled Belyea was elected to continue that legacy, one Peta Murphy helped make possible.
“May this be the first of many sitting weeks, and the beginning of many years of service for Dunkley,” he said.
Shortly after, the Prime Minister moved to deliver condolences for the late Senator Linda White, who died on February 29.
Today we farewell our beloved friend and valued colleague, Senator Linda White. pic.twitter.com/3e1AYc6ALJ
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) March 14, 2024
“The day that Linda entered the parliament was a good day for the Australian Labor party, for the Senate but, more importantly, for the nation,” Prime Minister Albanese said.
“Sadly, Linda was not destined to be in the Senate for long, but she made powerful use of the brief time she had, making a profound impact on matters of significance, including the National Anti-Corruption Commission, better access to superannuation for women, and the important check on executive power, the scrutiny of delegated legislation committee.”
Senator Linda White was a trailblazer for women, both inside and outside her career in politics. As a law student, she was the second ever female President of the Law Students Society at the Melbourne Law School.
White served on the National Executive Committee of the ALP for nine years, the longest serving woman on the Committee in history.
She joined the Senate in 2022 and played a key role in several policy decisions, including the government’s announcement on International Women’s Day last week that superannuation will be paid on government Paid Parental Leave.
“She may well have been the most senior new backbencher to have ever existed,” Prime Minister Albanese said.
“It said a lot about her and her character that she didn’t want people to make a fuss. She just dealt with it as the strong, brave, extraordinary person that she was.”
Other members of the House of Representatives rose to pay tribute to Linda White, including Peter Dutton, David Littleproud and Sussan Ley from the Opposition.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles also gave his condolences to Linda White, who he said he knew for 25 years, but wished he “got to know her better”. The Deputy Prime Minister said White’s legacy lies in the gender-equal Labor government.
“The legacy of her work is sitting behind me now – a Caucus which is now made up of equal numbers of men and women. In fact, slightly more women than men,” Marles said.
“And having been a member of this Caucus since 2007, I cannot overstate how much better it is that we are a Caucus which properly represents those who vote for us. We are able to harness the full talent of our base.”