Denis Murphy (Australian politician)

Denis Joseph Murphy (6 August 1936 – 21 June 1984) was an Australian Labor Party politician, historian and biographer. Born in Nambour, Queensland, Murphy was the youngest of nine children and went to an all boys Catholic school, St Joseph's Nudgee College.^[1] After graduating, he went on to study high school PE teaching and later became an educator at Redcliffe State High School.^[2] As Murphy worked he went back to university and completed his master's degree in Queensland's state enterprises in 1965 at the University of Queensland.^[2] In 1966 he left his job as a PE teacher and took on a full-time position as a lecturer at the University of Queensland.^[3] He taught there as an academic historian and wrote primarily on the history of the Australian Labor Party.^[3]

Murphy became a member of the Australian Labor Party in 1967.^[1] During the 1970s, Murphy led a push for party reform, alongside Peter Beattie and Manfred Cross.^[2] He maintained his position at University of Queensland whilst he pushed for reform and completed biographies on a number of Queensland ALP figures, notably Thomas J. Ryan and Bill Hayden.^[4] In 1980 he became the State Branch President and was subsequently elected to the Parliament of Queensland for the electorate of Stafford at the 1983 state election.^[1][2]

Murphy was diagnosed with cancer in 1983 and died in 1984, aged 47.^[2] He died before having the opportunity to make a speech as a Member of Parliament.^[1] Peter Beattie made a speech instead for Murphy and led a conference of over 200 delegates in a moment of silence in honour of Murphy's life.^[5] Murphy died in Brisbane, Queensland and is buried in Mooloolah Cemetery.^[2]