NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet supported by senior ministers after Nazi costume blunder
Senior Liberal ministers have backed the beleaguered NSW Premier after his shock admission he wore a Nazi costume to his 21st birthday. Meanwhile a rival party has rebuked the behaviour.
State Election
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Dominic Perrottet’s senior ministers moved to back their beleaguered premier on Friday morning as he again apologised to the Jewish community over his shock admission he wore a Nazi uniform at his 21st birthday party.
Mr Perrottet fronted reporters flanked by staunch supporters Brad Hazzard and Victor Dominello in a bid to dispel rumours of cabinet unrest.
“He’s an amazing guy, he’s done an incredible job ... I’m prepared to back him 100 per cent,” Mr Hazzard said.
The Health Minister was echoed by Customer Service Minister Mr Dominello.
“I absolutely back Dom in,” he said.
Mr Perrottet was immediately lashed by questions while attending the press conference at Ryde Hospital.
The premier was forced to confront how the transgression would effect the performance of the Coalition at the March state election, a mere 10 weeks away.
He said he had a number of colleagues contact him overnight and “appreciated their support”.
“I have had overwhelming support from my colleagues,” he said.
“It is ultimately not about me in relation to this, it is about the hurt that the mistake I made caused many people across our community and I am terribly sorry for that,” he said.
Despite this, he wouldn’t confirm whether a party room meeting would be held in the coming days, adding that it was “a matter for the members of the party”.
It comes as the NSW Greens issued a scathing attack on the premier, accusing him of trying to “shake away” racism .
The statement from member for Newtown Jenny Leong and Cate Faehrmann MLC questioned Mr Pettottet’s political views in light of the incident.
“The premier’s decision to wear a Nazi uniform at his 21st birthday was just two years before he became President of the Young Liberals - it is difficult to fathom his political views were not already formed,” the statement said.
“Fascist extremism is not a joke. People living every day with racism can’t simply shake it away with a quick press conference, like this government tried to do this morning.
“We cannot fathom the impact this has had on those who have a direct connection to the Holocaust or the hurt being felt by so many who face the real and ongoing threat of the rise of white supremacy.”
On Thursday, Dominic Perrottet’s election campaign was dealt a body blow after the premier admitted to wearing a Nazi uniform to his 21st birthday party almost 20 years ago.
Mr Perrottet made the admission two days after a cabinet colleague raised the matter with him, following fevered speculation among Liberals that a damaging photo of Mr Perrottet at the party was set to be released.
“At my 21st fancy dress party, I wore a Nazi uniform,” Mr Perrottet told reporters at an extraordinary press conference on Thursday.
The Premier said he was “deeply ashamed” and “truly sorry” for the hurt that his actions had caused.
He said he had been “anguished” about his actions ever since, and considered admitting to his mistake on a number of occasions.
On Friday morning, the embattled Premier reinforced the shame and regret he holds for the behaviour in a video posted to his official Facebook page, but also pointed to the silver lining that could come from it.
“My hope is that some good can come from the terrible mistake that I made,” Mr Perrottet said.
“I met with the Jewish Board of Deputies and we both spoke about how important it is to continue to raise education and understanding, particularly with young people of the horrors of the holocaust, and to ensure that evil such as that never occurs again.”
Perrottet also addressed the NSW Jewish community directly in an open letter seen by The Saturday Telegraph, where Mr Perrettet said his actions didn’t reflect his attitudes towards Jewish people.
“To you, the Jewish community, holocaust survivors and your families I am deeply sorry,” he wrote.
“With the benefit of many personal friendships and acquaintances, hearing people’s stories first hand, and deepening my understanding of history and the ongoing trauma caused by the holocaust, I now look back at my decision in 2003 with shame.”
Earlier it was revealed Perrottet only made the decision to come forward after it was raised with him on Tuesday night by a cabinet colleague.
“I knew that that is the point that I needed to tell the truth,” Mr Perrottet said. “This truth about this terrible mistake that I made needed to be told by me, not by someone else.”
The Telegraph first began inquiring about a rumoured damaging photo of Mr Perrottet on Tuesday.
Before the Premier’s admission, multiple Liberals said they had heard rumours about Mr Perrottet being photographed in a Nazi uniform at his 21st birthday party in 2003.
Asked on Thursday if he was dressed as Adolf Hitler, Mr Perrottet said “No”. He told reporters that his 21st birthday party had a “uniform” theme.
The Premier said he did not know if a photo existed. He said if it did, he had not seen it.
The Daily Telegraph understands Veterans Minister David Elliott was the colleague who spoke to Mr Perrottet on Tuesday, warning him that internal political rivals had a photo of the incident and were preparing to release it.
Mr Perrottet told reporters on Thursday that the cabinet colleague who raised the nazi uniform issue did not raise it as a threat. After receiving the information, Mr Perrottet then called his chief of staff, before meeting with senior members of his team about the issue on Wednesday.
He called Treasurer Matt Kean on Thursday morning, and informed Deputy Premier Paul Toole just before he made his public announcement.
Mr Perrottet said that, as a 21 year old, he did not have the “depth or appreciation” of the offence the costume would cause.
Mr Perrottet rented the Nazi outfit from a costume shop, for the “uniform party”.
Sources familiar with the party told the Telegraph that a spate of current Liberal MPs were in attendance, including former federal minister Alex Hawke and Wollondilly MP Nat Smith. They did not return calls.
Sources also said Upper house MPs Natahsha Maclaren-Jones and Scott Farlow were at the party; both MPs said they did not attend.
Mr Perrottet said he first realised his grave error the morning after the party, when confronted by his parents.
“They said that what I did was wrong and insensitive,” he said.
“This was a terrible and grave mistake that I made when I was 21. And that’s not me. And it’s not the person I am,” he said.
“I’ve become a very passionate supporter of the Jewish community.
“I will be making a number of calls this afternoon.”
A number of Mr Perrottet’s colleagues said the Premier was right to “own” his mistake and apologise so that he could not be “blackmailed” if a photo of the incident did exist.
Mr Perrottet’s admission, just 2½ months before the election, threatens to damage the Liberal party in must-win seats, including the electorate of Vaucluse which has a large Jewish population.
It comes just six months after NSW made displaying Nazi symbols illegal.
PERROTTET’S HYPOCRITICAL NAZI STANCE
The admission comes just months after Mr Perrottet blasted Australia Cup final spectators who allegedly raised their arms in Nazi salutes, saying they should be banned from attending any more games.
Police investigated the incident which took place during a football match between Sydney United 58 and Macarthur FC in October last year.
Mr Perrottet said at the time he was horrified by the fans’ behaviour and called for lifetime bans.
“My position is that if they are caught, there should be life bans in place,” he said.
“This behaviour is not acceptable in our great country.”
NSW REACTS TO PERROTTET NAZI CONFESSION
The Premier spoke to Jewish leaders before admitting to wearing the costume, and visited the Sydney Jewish Museum following his announcement.
His revelations have not butchered his relationship with the state’s Jewish community, with the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies welcoming his “sincere regret”.
The group thanked the Premier for being a “staunch supporter and friend” of the community.
“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,” President David Ossip and chief executive Darren Bark said in a joint statement.
“The Premier has been a staunch supporter and friend of the NSW Jewish community throughout his time in public life. In particular, as Treasurer, he ensured the Sydney Jewish Museum received funding to ensure that it could continue educating the community about the Holocaust and the horrors of the Nazi era.”
The pair said the incident served as a reminder to continue education about the “abhorrent nature of the Nazi regime”.
“Nazi symbolism is not to be taken lightly and dressing as a Nazi is not a joke. It disrespects the millions of innocent civilians who were murdered during WWII, including six million Jews and thousands of Australian Diggers who died fighting against the Nazis,” he said.
“The Premier has acknowledged this, recognising that wearing the costume was offensive and will distress many in our community.
“We hope that this unfortunate incident will serve as a lesson to all.”
Alex Ryvchin, the co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said it was “jarring to think the Premier ever thought it OK to don the uniform of those who hunted and murdered millions of Jews” but added: “It was 20 years ago, the Premier is mortified”.
“He’s not a Nazi. He’s not an antisemite. He did something incredibly stupid 20 years ago. He shouldn’t be judged by his darkest moment.
“Sadly, the use of the Holocaust as a punchline and prop has become totally normalised.
“This incident can flush this behaviour out and end it.”
Former NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Vic Alhadeff spoke in support of the Premier.
“Almost everyone has done something in their youth that they regret.
“It’s important that the Premier has acknowledged that his actions were wrong and that he has apologised for it. I have no doubt that his comments are sincere,” he said.
“More importantly, he has been a staunch friend of the Jewish community throughout his political career, and that speaks more loudly than any youthful indiscretion which occurred many years ago.”
Kellie Sloane, the Liberal candidate for Vaucluse, said she was “shocked and concerned” to hear about the Premier’s behaviour in his youth, but noted his support of the Jewish community during his time in politics.
“The community I seek to represent will feel that pain more deeply than most … I will continue to be a strong and unequivocal advocate and defender of the Jewish community.”
Veterans Minister David Elliott, whose grandmother was Jewish and is believed to be the only cabinet member with Jewish ancestry, said veterans’ organisations had already reached out to him following the announcement.
“I understand veterans are very upset about this revelation. While I’m not defending the Premier, I do want him to be given the opportunity to explain himself over the next couple of days,” he said.
“Given I’m retiring at the next election, the leadership of the party isn’t something I’ll be involved in commenting on.”
Karen Fryer, the independent candidate for Vaucluse where Judaism is the largest religion among constituents, said her father was a Holocaust survivor and that there was “no excuse” for donning the outfit.
“As a child of a survivor of the Shoah (Holocaust), wearing a Nazi uniform is neither fun nor funny,” she said.
“There is no excuse.”
RSL NSW President Ray James said the organisation was extending its support to Australians affected by the Nazi regime to this day.
“RSL NSW acknowledges the NSW Premier’s apology and continues to stand by the thousands of Australian service men and women, and their families, whose lives were lost or impacted as a result,” he said.
ELECTION CHANCES UNCHANGED BY NAZI REVEAL
Mr Perrottet’s colleagues are quietly standing by him amid the scandal that rocked Macquarie Street on Thursday.
Liberal sources remained optimistic the revelations were unlikely to impact the election, but conceded that the opposition was likely to pounce on the issue.
“It doesn’t impact the election at all. If we are talking about this then we aren’t talking about what’s important for the future of our state,” a Liberal source said.
“Everybody makes mistakes in their journey.”
Another source added: “Obviously it’s not good no one wants this nine weeks out of an election — but a lot changes in 20 years. We all do silly things.
“The people that think one incident of poor judgment and youthful vigour and stupidity should define you – absolutely not. Labor will use it as an excuse to beat him about, weaken his position.”
Another senior Liberal said the Premier “wearing that uniform is not the person I know” and was confident the issue wouldn’t impact the election result.
Senior Minister and right- faction member Anthony Roberts said: “The Jewish community has never had a bigger supporter than Dom Perrottet both as Treasurer and Premier.”
“I think that’s shown by the fact the Jewish community has acknowledged the strong contribution he’s made … he’s been very involved with the veteran’s community,” the source said.
“The reality is everybody makes mistakes when they are young but the mark of the person is the way in which they’re able to learn from their mistakes.”
Multiculturalism Minister Mark Coure in a statement said he would “stand 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 for NSW,” he said.
“We all stand against Nazism and hate —it has no place in our society. Our actions as a government prove this … We have not sat idle on hatred, racism or vilification. We have worked hard and we will continue working hard for a harmonious and united NSW.”
Got a news tip? Email james.odoherty@news.com.au
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