Dominic Perrottet has done quite a job of reinventing himself since becoming NSW premier 18 months ago, with his wife and seven young children in tow.
Perrottet has been forced to perform several pirouettes in a bid to cling to power at the coming election. The moves have meant jettisoning the closest of old friends and even his own core beliefs.
Crikey has counted the ways in which new Dom has taken shape. It all raises the question: what does he really stand for?
No more Nazi
New Dom was contrite when it was revealed last month that he had kitted himself out as a Nazi at his 21st birthday. (Phew, no photo yet.)
He could cite the ignorance of youth for his lack of judgment back then, but what about his late career adoration of Donald Trump?
Dumping Trump
Old Dom was all over Donald Trump when Trump won power at the end of 2016. Perrottet hailed Trump’s presidential win as a victory for those who have been taken for granted by the elites in the political establishment.
“There is a silent majority, a forgotten people, who feel like the values they hold dear are no longer being represented by the political class,” he posted to social media. “In fact these values and the people who hold them are looked upon with contempt.”
Perrottet counted the ways:
If you stand for free speech you are not a bigot.
If you question man-made climate change, you are not a sceptic.
If you support stronger borders, you are not a racist.
If you want a plebiscite on same-sex marriage, you are not a homophobe.
If you love your country you are not an extremist.
At the time of his pro-Trump mantra Perrottet was NSW finance minister. Two months later he was elevated to treasurer and deputy leader of the NSW Liberals. But then again he was only… 34. Oh.
Dumping Tudehope
When finance minister Damien Tudehope resigned last week over undeclared shareholdings, Perrottet lost more than just a parliamentary colleague. In politics, ideology and values, Tudehope and Perrottet had been brothers to the end.
Tudehope, a devout Catholic, had been the face of the socially conservative Australian Family Association and NSW president of the National Civic Council before entering parliament.
At the age of 66, Tudehope made way for the younger Perrottet to shift into his seat of Epping in Sydney’s north-west Bible belt. (The seat is the de facto property of conservative CatholIc politicians.) In return, Tudehope took a position in the NSW upper house. The family friendships also crept into public office, with Tudehope’s daughter Monica being employed as Perrottet’s chief of staff.
Conversion on gay conversion
The question of banning gay conversion therapy has been a tough one for Perrottet.
After days of media pressure he came to the party late last week with a promise to introduce legislation (joining several other states) if reelected. But he has already flagged religious exemptions.
“There is no place for harmful practices in our state. Since this issue was raised, people have raised with me examples of food deprivation, electroshock therapy. Well, those practices are wrong, and we will move to outlaw them,” the premier said at a multi-faith forum on Wednesday night, reported by the Nine mastheads.
“At the same time, we will not ban prayer, we will not ban preaching. That is fundamental to freedom of religion in this state and in this country. We can do both. We can ban harmful practices and we can protect freedom of religion in our state.”
The issue takes Perrottet into delicate territory where his personal faith again intersects with public policy.
As Premier he has been a passionate supporter of the faith-based rehabilitation practices of a centre known as ONE80TC which is backed by Hillsong church. The facility is run on the lines of policies set out by the socially conservative Assemblies of God movement, which governs Australia’s pentecostal churches as Crikey reported last year.
In a video recording he made for ONE80TC’s annual dinner at the end of 2022, the premier highlighted the “great Christian ethos” underpinning the centre’s work which, he said, “inspires me and inspires you to make a real difference”.
Hillsong itself measures the success of its “investment” in ONE80TC in terms of the number of souls which the rehab centre has “saved”. The church described 2022 as “an exciting year for ONE80TC with 80 salvations, 37 baptisms”.
“This Christ-centred organisation is more than just a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, it’s a place where men and women find hope for the future,” Hillsong reported.
Crikey is not suggesting that ONE80TC engages in harmful gay conversion practices of the kind Perrottet referred to this week. We have sought the premier’s comments on his support for ONE80TC but have received no response.
Perrottet has also put distance between himself and the Catholic Church over laws enabling voluntary assisted dying (passed in NSW last year). He further antagonised the church by failing to attend the funeral of Cardinal George Pell.
Perrottet has at least bent to the secular will in important ways. The question for the Liberal Party must surely be: when will it secularise itself?
