NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has written an open letter to the Jewish community and released a video in which he again apologised for wearing a Nazi costume to his 21st birthday party almost two decades ago.
In the video published to social media the premier said he hoped some good could come from his “grave mistake”, after he met Jewish leaders on Thursday afternoon.
“We spoke about how important it is to continue to raise education and understanding particular for young people of the horrors of the Holocaust to ensure evil such as that never occurs again.”
Perrottet was forced to make a humiliating public admission on Thursday about wearing the Nazi uniform after it was raised in a private conversation with Transport Minister David Elliott on Tuesday. It followed days of tension between the pair over several issues, including the future of poker machines.
Perrottet said he had worn the rented costume at the party attended by friends and family – a decision he now describes as “a grave and terrible mistake”.
“When I was 21 at my 21st fancy dress party I wore a Nazi uniform. I’m deeply ashamed of what I did, and I’m truly sorry for the hurt and the pain that this will cause people right across our state and particularly the Jewish community and Holocaust survivors,” he said on Thursday.
In his open letter to the Jewish community released on Friday, the Premier said he took full responsibility for his actions and hoped “something good can come from this terrible mistake”.
Read the article by Lucy Cormack in The Age.