The New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, has revealed he wore a Nazi uniform at his 21st birthday party, apologising for what he described as a “deeply hurtful” act.
Flanked by his treasurer, Matt Kean, Perrottet fought back tears as he revealed that he had worn the outfit more than 19 years ago, describing it as a “terrible mistake” which had “personally anguished” him for most of his life.
The shocking revelation – which comes just three months before the state election – came after Perrottet received a phone call from a cabinet colleague who mentioned it two days ago.
Rumours of the existence of a photo damaging to the premier had been circulating in recent days. Perrottet said he was unaware of whether a photo of him wearing the outfit existed, and it was unclear whether one had been released to media.
Sources said after the press conference the suggestion that there was such a photo had been circulated by disgruntled members of Perrottet’s own right faction.
“I can tell you it’s not us,” one senior moderate said.
“We actually want to win this election, but clearly some people are more interested in pursuing petty personal vendettas.”
Perrottet insisted the decision to reveal the information had not been made due to any threat to release a photo.
“I have grappled with this, it’s something that has personally anguished me,” Perrottet said.
“I needed this truth about this terrible mistake that I made to be told by me, not by someone else.”
Labelling it “stupid”, Perrottet said the act had caused him “much anxiety” over the course of his life and that he had considered revealing the information sooner.
“Maybe I should have,” he said on Thursday.
“There have been times throughout many years where I’ve thought of speaking about it and like I said, it’s been a difficult thing.
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“I know how hurtful this is for so many people … it was important that I, as premier of this state, addressed this and apologised for the hurt and the pain that this is going to cause.”
He said he “was just naive and didn’t understand” the gravity of his actions at the time, and said his parents had reprimanded him for wearing the outfit the next day.
“I’m not the person I am today that I was at 21,” he said.
“Who I am today is formed by the good things I’ve done in my life, not the mistakes I’ve made.”
The revelations could prove seriously damaging to the Coalition as it seeks a fourth term in power in March. Asked on Thursday if he had the support of his colleagues, Perrottet said: “I think so.”
The NSW party has been engaged in vicious preselection battles in the lead-up to the election, with a series of contentious decisions including the axing of three sitting upper house MPs prior to Christmas.
Senior party figures moved quickly to insist that Perrottet still enjoyed their backing.
During the tense press conference, Kean – the treasurer and most senior moderate in the government – said he still supported Perrottet.
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“The premier’s just admitted that he made a terrible mistake a long time ago,” Kean said.
“He’s apologised to community leaders, to the Jewish community, he’s apologised to the people of NSW. The NSW government truly values its relationship with the Jewish community. This is a reminder to all of us about the atrocities that occurred and the need for us all to recommit ourselves to ensuring nothing like that ever happens again.”
Mark Coure, the minister for multiculturalism and another senior moderate, also said he was standing by the premier.
“His words today show that he has reflected on the past, owned his mistakes, learned from them, and is focused on building a brighter future in NSW,” he said.
He pointed to Perrottet’s push to ban Nazi symbols in the previous parliament as proof the government had “not sat idle on hatred, racism or vilification”.
Liberal party insiders were particularly worried about the impact of the premier’s admission on seats in Sydney’s eastern suburbs with large Jewish populations, and where the government faces teal challengers.
The independent candidate for Vaucluse, Karen Freyer, said she believed there is “no excuse” for wearing the uniform.
“As a child of a survivor of the Shoah [Holocaust], wearing a Nazi uniform is neither fun nor funny,” she said.
The former NSW Labor premier Bob Carr declared Perrottet “unelectable” following the admission.
“Will Jewish leadership insist on his resignation? They should,” he said on social media. “The memory of six million demands it. He must go.”
The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies’ president, David Ossip, and its chief executive, Darren Bark, said they hoped the premier’s mistake would serve as a “lesson to all”.
“We appreciate that the premier personally reached out to the Jewish community this afternoon to express his deep and sincere regret about his poor choice of costume as a young man,” they said in a statement.
“This incident, no matter how old, is a reminder of the need to continually educate all Australians – and particularly our youth – about the abhorrent nature of the Nazi regime and the evil perpetrated in service of the Nazi ideology.”
The head of student learning and research at Sydney’s Jewish Museum, Dr Breann Fallon, said it was important to educate all generations about what happened under Nazi rule.
“Such a uniform is a symbol of hatred, bigotry and discrimination,” Fallon said. “To wear this symbol is to condone a society where these ideas are justified, which they are not and can never be.”