Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Prime Minister for the opportunity to add my words to his, and I commend him for bringing this to the attention of the House. Public servants serve in many ways to serve our country, and Adam Thomas certainly is one of those. He has a very special responsibility, as the Prime Minister has set out. As a fine chef, he has cooked for the heads of state, prime ministers and secretaries of state that I was also able to host there at Kirribilli. The one thing Jenny and I are truly grateful to Adam for is that he understood that this was an important public residence, that it was an important part of the public estate and that it had many official purposes, but that it was also a home. Particularly, for Jenny and me and, of course, for Mr and Mrs Howard and Mr and Mrs Abbott, it was where we lived as families. Particularly for my young children at the time, who entered Kirribilli House as primary schoolgirls and left as teenagers, Adam and the staff at Kirribilli always made them feel very safe and very welcome in that place which became our home for that period of time.

To Adam, his wife, Kee-o, and his two now adult sons, we are very grateful for the sacrifices they made for us. They saw that very much as part of their service. I'm not surprised Adam wouldn't want to come and have all the fuss, but it is important that his service to our country is recognised.

Given I'm saying thank you to Adam, it would be wrong of me not to take the opportunity at the same time to also thank Trina Barry, who worked at the Lodge for many years and, unfortunately, wasn't able to continue on in that role after the last election. She served governors-general and prime ministers from both sides of the House. She and Adam, together, made an outstanding team, and I know Adam would join me in praising Trina's service as well.

Thank you, Prime Minister, for bringing this to the attention of the House. The only thing I think Adam and I ever disagreed on was the football teams we followed. I thank him for the many cooking tips he gave me with my curries and for indulging me in regard to the mess that I often made in that kitchen. Thank you, Adam. God bless you and your family.

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