Albanese backs Jodie Belyea as Labor candidate for Dunkley by-election
Anthony Albanese has endorsed community leader Jodie Belyea as the Labor candidate to fill Peta Murphy’s seat in the upcoming Dunkley by-election.
Victoria
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Anthony Albanese has endorsed community leader Jodie Belyea as Labor’s candidate for the upcoming Dunkley by-election.
The move comes after Dunkley MP Peta Murphy died from breast cancer at age 50 last month.
The Prime Minister, who visited Frankston on Thursday morning, said Ms Murphy reached out to recruit Ms Belyea before her death.
“I am very pleased (she) has accepted the challenge of being the candidate for Dunkley,” Mr Albanese said.
“I believe she’ll do an outstanding job, taking the skills that she has learned so far as an advocate for the community sector, for not for profit organisations, for people who need that assistance, who need government to provide them support on to the floor of the House of Representatives, to continue and to build on the extraordinary legacy that Peta Murphy built.”
Ms Belyea, a married mother with a son in high school, met Ms Murphy through the Women’s Spirit Project which she founded in 2018 to support disadvantaged women on the Mornington Peninsula.
She acknowledged that she had “big shoes to fill”, adding she wanted to continue Ms Murphy’s legacy.
“Over the next few weeks you are going to see me campaigning on the cost of living, health and Medicare and affordable housing.
“I will be out and about in this community, meeting with people from Carrum Downs, Langwarrin, Frankston and Mt Eliza to understand what is important for you.
“I am not a career politician. I am not interested in playing politics. What I am interested in is creating a community that works together through working with governments at all levels, with local businesses and community organisations, bringing the voice of the people from the ground to parliament in Canberra.”
Nominations for the Labor candidates close on Friday, when the party’s national executive will sign off on the candidate.
A by-election date is yet to be announced.
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