Dominic Perrottet says he’s not aware of any photo of him wearing a Nazi uniform at his 21st birthday and has no plans to call a Liberal party room meeting over his leadership.
The New South Wales premier was on Friday backed by frontbenchers Brad Hazzard and Victor Dominello as he again apologised for wearing the costume 19 years ago. This came a day after he revealed the matter after receiving a call from the transport minister, David Elliot, about it earlier this week.
Elliott told Perrottet on Tuesday night “someone was planning to use it against him”, the senior minister revealed on Thursday.
Asked if he believed rivals were plotting to release a photo of him to create maximum impact ahead of the March poll as retribution for his stance on pokies or his involvement in bitter preselection battles, Perrottet said it was “not about that”.
“This is about a mistake that I made and I did it,” he said on Friday.
“I am not interested in other commentary around it. I am truly sorry for the mistake that I made.”
He aid he could not remember if any other current Liberal MPs were present at his birthday party, insisting it was “not about that” and “no one was involved”.
“I was involved. It was me. I made a terrible mistake,” he said.
“I am not aware of a photograph.”
The premier met with Jewish community members, including the Jewish Board of Deputies and leaders at the Jewish Museum, on Thursday afternoon
He said he hoped his mistake would serve as an reminder that people needed continuous education about the Holocaust.
Outgoing ministers Hazzard and Dominello praised the premier for his leadership throughout the pandemic.
Dominello said he “absolutely back[ed] Dom in”.
“The premier has owned it, apologised for it and I accept what he has apologised for,” he said.
Hazzard added he was “an extraordinarily good premier”.
Peter Wertheim, co-chief executive of peak Jewish body, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said on Friday the premier’s costume was “ignorant and callous” but his apology was “genuine” and he believed the community would accept it.
Perrottet, 40, on Thursday apologised for the “stupid” decision he said had “personally anguished” him for much of his life.
“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 shocking revelation could not come at a worse time for the government which is fighting to win a fourth term in power at the March state election.
Elliott did not respond to phone calls and texts from the Guardian on Thursday but told Seven News he called the premier on Tuesday to warn him “everyone knew about the costume”.
“Political rivals knew about the costume and everyone, including the premier’s own staff, had heard the rumour that someone was planning to use it against him,” Elliott reportedly told Seven.
Seven reported that Elliott had made the phone call after he accused members of the premier’s staff of leaking a story about his son working for a gambling company.
That story emerged after Elliott questioned the cashless gambling card which has been pushed by Perrottet in the lead-up to the election.
The premier insisted the call from the cabinet minister had not been a threat but said it had prompted him to reveal he had worn the outfit.
“I needed this truth about this terrible mistake that I made to be told by me, not by someone else,” he said on Thursday.
Senior Liberal sources said a suggestion a photo existed 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.”
Party insiders were particularly worried about seats in Sydney’s eastern suburbs with large Jewish populations where the government faces teal challengers.
Karen Freyer, an independent candidate in Vaucluse, said the premier’s decision to wear the costume was inexcusable.
“As a child of a survivor of the Shoah [Holocaust], wearing a Nazi uniform is neither fun nor funny,” she said.
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 6 million demands it. He must go.”
Despite the risk the photo could hurt the Coalition’s re-election chances, some senior party figures insisted that Perrottet enjoyed their backing.
They included the treasurer and the most senior member of the rival moderate faction, Matt Kean, who stood beside Perrottet at Thursday’s press conference, and the minister for multiculturalism, Mark Coure.
Jewish groups expressed shock at the revelation, with the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies leadership saying it was a “lesson for all”.
