In 1951 he was sent as a child migrant to the British colony of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where he was educated before graduating from Rhodes University in South Africa with degrees in English and History.
He continued his education at University of Oxford (Rhodes Scholar 1971[citation needed]), where he graduated with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
Others believe that he acted against the wishes of his party's members in voting for the Goods and Services Tax bills in 1999, a stance which caused an irreparable party-room rift,[2] leading to terminal loss of electoral support.
Murray did not seek re-election at the 2007 federal election and retired at the expiration of his term on 30 June 2008.
On 11 January 2013 the Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, announced Murray's appointment through Letters Patent[4] as one of six Commissioners to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.