One of Australia's most prominent politicians has revealed and apologized for wearing a Nazi outfit to his 21st birthday celebration.

Premier of New South Wales (NSW) Dominic Perrottet, 40, disclosed the incident two days after a colleague privately brought it to his attention on Thursday.

He stated that it was a lousy error while he was young and naive.

In two months, Mr. Perrottet, the state's conservative coalition leader, will face an election.

In an emotional press conference, he told reporters, "I'm deeply ashamed of what I did,"

"At that age in my life, I just did not understand the gravity of what that uniform meant."

"I sincerely apologize for the hurt and suffering this will cause," he continued, "especially to Jewish community members, Holocaust survivors, veterans, and their families."

The incident occurred in 2003, two years before the photograph of Prince Harry wearing a Nazi outfit and swastika armband.

Mr. Perrottet stated that he did not know if a photograph of him wearing the costume existed, and he denied that his statement was made to prevent the distribution of such a photograph.

He stated that he had personally apologized to Jewish leaders in New South Wales.

The Jewish Board of Deputies of New South Wales stated that Mr. Perrottet felt "deep and sincere regret" for his acts nearly two decades ago.

President David Ossip and chief executive Darren Bark stated, "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"

Mr. Perrottet became premier of Australia's most populous state in 2021, following the resignation of his predecessor over a corruption investigation.

In March, he has an uphill battle to win the state election. The Liberal-National coalition has been in power for twelve years. Still, many senior colleagues are retiring, and the partnership has been criticized for not promoting more women.