KEY POINTS
- Labor has picked community leader Jodie Belyea as its candidate for the Dunkley by-election.
- The poll is being held after the death of Labor MP Peta Murphy, who passed away in December.
- Belyea says she has "big shoes to fill" as she attempts to replace the popular local member.
Labor's candidate for the Dunkley by-election says she will "lean into the legacy" left by Peta Murphy, the electorate's former MP who died from breast cancer last year.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed on Thursday that Labor had picked local community leader Jodie Belyea to defend its hold over the seat, which Murphy wrested off the Coalition in 2019.
in December after a years-long battle with cancer, sparking a by-election in a seat that encompasses areas south of Melbourne - including Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula. A date is yet to be set for the poll.
Murphy was working in parliament until the week before she died and was considered a tireless campaigner for breast cancer survivors and .
Peta Murphy died in December after a years-long battle with cancer. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
Belyea is a former TAFE student who taught in tertiary institutions in Dunkley, where her son is finishing Year 12.
Addressing reporters in Frankston on Thursday, Belyea accepted she had "big shoes to fill" as she looked to step into the void left by an MP loved by her colleagues and community.
"Peta Murphy was an incredibly talented and passionate member that advocated hard for this community. I am not going to necessarily be Peta, but I am going to lean into her legacy committed to making a difference," she said.
"I am not a career politician. I am not interested in playing politics. What I am interested in creating a community that works together."
Belyea has been a Labor member for less than a year, after being recruited to the party by Murphy herself. Speaking alongside his new candidate, Albanese said Murphy had left an "extraordinary legacy" and framed Belyea as her natural successor.
"Peta was always on the lookout for other local champions, and in Jodie she has found one ... This community, I know, is really proud of the work that Peta did, and in Jodie they have someone that will continue to build on that legacy. No two people are the same, but they do remind me of each other," he said.
"They're both strong advocates. Jodie's certainly not a career politician. She's someone who I think is the right fit for this community."
Labor achieved a surprise win in the Aston by-election last year. Source: AAP / Julian Smith
In April, Labor struck a shock upset at the first - in the Melbourne seat of Aston - by becoming the first government to win a seat off the opposition in over a century.
Three months later, a more conventional by-election result saw the Coalition retain the Queensland seat of Fadden after securing a swing in its favour.
