Tuesday, 28 October 2025

 Sarah MANSFIELD (Western Victoria) (13:35): Vale, Emeritus Professor John Murtagh AO, a giant of general practice who shaped how many of us care for our patients. John literally wrote the book on how to be a GP. Like thousands of medical students, I learned patient-centred care from his 1600-page textbook, John Murtagh’s General Practice. He was a country kid who survived polio and turned that early experience into a life in medicine and teaching. He served rural communities, including Neerim South, and inspired generations with clear writing and the kind of practical wisdom only gained through experience. He was 89 when he died in Melbourne last week. His textbook was published in 1994 and is now in its ninth edition. It is the gold standard for general practice, translated into at least a dozen languages and used across 20 countries. It has everything from the restricted rule- out, or Murtagh’s method of diagnosis, to one of my favourites, his famous clinical pearls, like his method to get a bug out of an ear. The World Organization of Family Doctors made him a lifetime fellow in 2007, recognising contributions to global family medicine. In 2019, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to medicine. As a working GP before entering this Parliament, I say thank you. Thank you for teaching us to listen, to think, to act early and above all, to be compassionate. I offer condolences to John’s family and colleagues.