KEY POINTS
- NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has apologised after revealing he wore a Nazi uniform on his 21st birthday.
- The premier said he was "naive" and "didn't understand" the significance of the mistake he made.
- Mr Perrottet is only 72 days from facing a state election for the first time since he took the top job.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has apologised after revealing he wore a Nazi uniform at his 21st birthday party nearly two decades ago.
The premier, now 40, told reporters on Thursday he was "ashamed" for the "deeply hurtful" choice he made.
"I’m deeply ashamed of what I did and I’m truly sorry for the hurt and the pain this will cause for people right across our state, and in particular, members of the Jewish community, Holocaust survivors, veterans and their families," he said.
The admission came after Transport Minister David Elliott on Tuesday approached the premier, according to Seven News.
"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," Mr Elliott told the broadcaster.
Mr Perrottet said he had grappled with his decision to wear the uniform over the course of his life.
"This was a terrible and grave mistake that I made when I was 21. That's not me. That's not the person I am."
He said he only wore the rented costume once and did not recall any other offensive costumes being worn at the event.
Mr Perrottet said that his parents expressed their disappointment with him wearing the uniform the next day.
"I was naive and didn't understand."
In a follow-up interview with 2GB radio, Mr Perrottet was questioned about his motivation for the revelation, with host Chris O’Keefe asking the premier whether there was a photo that could be leaked.
"I don't know if there is (a photo) or not, what I do know is I did it ... I made a terrible, terrible mistake," he said.
'Dressing as a Nazi is not a joke'
In a statement, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip and CEO Darren Bark said they appreciated the premier personally contacting the Jewish community to express his "deep and sincere regret" over his "poor choice of costume as a young man".
Mr Ossip and Mr Bark said that the incident served as a lesson to educate the wider public about the "abhorrent nature of the Nazi regime and the evil perpetrated in service of the Nazi ideology".
"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."
They said Mr Perrottet has been a staunch supporter and friend of the state's Jewish community, and that he has acknowledged the mistake he has made.
The incident occurred in 2003, a year after Mr Perrottet joined the NSW Liberal Party. In 2005, he was appointed president of the NSW Young Liberals.
Treasurer and deputy NSW Liberal leader Matt Kean said he supported the premier.
Federal Liberal MP Julian Leeser, who is Jewish and whose electorate overlaps Mr Perrottet's state seat, said the premier he knew was "a world away from the arrogant, ignorant, heartless and mean-spirited actions of a university student."
The premier is due to contest the leadership of the state in March this year for the first time since he took the top job in October 2021.
Wearing swastikas, displaying Nazi memorabilia and waving Nazi flags is a crime in NSW, punishable with up to a year in prison and a fine of up to $11,000
With additional reporting by AAP.
