Key Points
- NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet apologised on Thursday for wearing a Nazi uniform at his 21st birthday party.
- He says he is confident of leading the NSW Liberal Party into the state election on 25 March despite his admission.
- The premier has dismissed suggestions that a minister was threatening him with the revelation.
Several ministers are standing by NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet two months out from state elections after his revelation that he wore a Nazi uniform at his 21st birthday party.
Already hobbled by the retirements of a dozen colleagues, the premier on Thursday disclosed amid rumours about the 2003 party.
"I've had a number of colleagues contact me ... and I appreciate their support but ultimately it's not about me. It's about the hurt and mistake that it caused many people across the state," he told reporters on Friday, flanked by outgoing ministers Brad Hazzard and Victor Dominello.
"It's not about politics. It's about doing what's right.
"I am focused now on really ensuring that people don't make the same mistake that I did all these years ago."
Mr Perrottet's confession was prompted by a cabinet colleague's private warning on Tuesday.
Multiple media outlets have named Transport Minister David Elliott as that colleague.
He dismissed on Friday suggestions that Mr Elliott was threatening him with the revelation, saying he wouldn't delve into "private discussions".
Mr Perrottet also said he was not interested in commentary suggesting the gambling lobby was responsible for pushing Mr Elliott to divulge the subject of wearing a Nazi uniform two decades ago.
Mr Dominello, who once held the gaming portfolio, said the premier had owned and apologised for his mistake.
"Absolutely I back him in every day of the week," he said.
Other senior coalition figures including Nationals leader Paul Toole and potential leadership rival, moderate Liberal Matt Kean have publicly backed Mr Perrottet.
"He will continue to be the premier and I have no doubts that after March, we will win the election and he will continue in that role," Mr Toole said.
Asked if he was confident of leading the Liberals into the elections on 25 March, Mr Perrottet answered with a terse "yes" several times.
He referred to the Coalition's infrastructure track record over the last 12 years as instilling confidence in voters when heading to the polls.
Asked by reporters if he was confident of leading the Liberals into the elections on 25 March, Mr Perrottet answered with a terse "yes" several times. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins
Asked where he saw the humour in wearing a Nazi uniform, he suggested all people matured differently based on their experiences.
"I am not the person I was when I was 21," the 40-year-old said on Thursday.
"At that time, the pages of the history books had not had the impression on me that they should have."
The incident came a year after Mr Perrottet joined the NSW Liberal Party and two years before he was appointed president of the NSW Young Liberals.
Melbourne University cultural historian Jordana Silverstein said the timing of the premier's admission was about saving face, rather than genuinely accounting for his actions.
"It's always been considered offensive, but it's a matter of whose opinions have been listened to, and respected," she told AAP.
"(Mr) Perrottet wearing the Nazi costume speaks to the normalisation of anti-Semitism and how acceptable it is amongst a certain segment of Australian society."
The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies accepted a personal apology from the remorseful premier and said it hoped "this unfortunate incident will serve as a lesson to all".
