Transport minister called Perrottet to warn premier his rivals knew he’d worn Nazi uniform

The New South Wales transport minister, David Elliott, called Dominic Perrottet to tell him rivals knew the premier had dressed in a Nazi uniform at his 21st birthday party.

Elliott told Perrottet on Tuesday night “someone was planning to use it against him”, the senior minister revealed on Thursday.

An emotional premier had earlier made the stunning admission he had worn the uniform almost 20 years ago in 2003.

Perrottet 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.

Perrottet, 40, said on Thursday he made the decision to come forward after a cabinet colleague called him two days ago to raise the matter. It was subsequently revealed that minister was Elliott.

The outgoing transport minister 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 Elliott 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.

Perrottet said he was unaware of whether a photo of him wearing the outfit existed and it was unclear whether one had been released to the media.

But senior sources within the Liberal party said the existence of a photo 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 the impact of the premier’s admission on 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. “There is no excuse.”

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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.”

The NSW Liberal party has been engaged in vicious preselection battles in the lead-up to the election, with a series of contentious decisions including the axing of three sitting upper house MPs before Christmas.

Senior party figures on Thursday moved quickly to insist that Perrottet still enjoyed their backing.

The treasurer and the most senior member of the rival moderate faction, Matt Kean, stood beside Perrottet at Thursday’s press conference.

“The premier’s just admitted that he made a terrible mistake a long time ago,” he said.

“He’s apologised to community leaders, to the Jewish community, he’s apologised to the people of NSW. The NSW government truly values its relationship with the Jewish community.”

The minister for multiculturalism, Mark Coure, who is another senior moderate, said he was standing by the premier.

“His words today show he has reflected on the past, owned his mistakes, learned from them, and is focused on building a brighter future in NSW,” he said.

Coure pointed to Perrottet’s push to ban Nazi symbols in the previous parliament as proof the government had “not sat idle on hatred, racism or vilification”.

“We have worked hard and we will continue working hard for a harmonious and united NSW,” he said.

Following the premier’s press conference, Jewish groups expressed shock at the revelation, with the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president, David Ossip, and chief executive, Darren Bark, releasing a joint statement saying it was a “lesson for all”.

“We appreciate that the premier personally reached out to the Jewish community this afternoon to express his deep and sincere regret about his poor choice of costume as a young man,” they said.

“This incident, no matter how old, is a reminder of the need to continually educate all Australians – and particularly our youth – about the abhorrent nature of the Nazi regime and the evil perpetrated in service of the Nazi ideology.”