As NSW records over 22,000 new cases of COVID and the number in hospital races towards a thousand, it’s worth getting to know the man who decided to “open up” just as the Omicron strain was taking off.
At 39, Dominic Perrottet is our youngest premier. He is one of 12 children and is about to become a father for the 7th time.
His younger brother gave an interesting defence to police when he faced allegations of rape in 2017.
Mr Perrottet, who comes from a large family belonging to the conservative Catholic order Opus Dei, later told police there was no way they had sexual intercourse. “It’s against my religion,” he said.
Dom was born in 1982 and was preselected in 2010 for the NSW seat of Castle Hill. Prior to that he had completed a commerce/law degree which takes 5 years. He apparently worked briefly for a law firm but it was purely a stepping stone as his political ambitions were clear, serving as the President of the NSW Young Liberals Movement in 2005 and on the NSW State Executive of the Liberal Party from 2008 to 2011.
Perrottet is an electorate hopper, moving from Castle Hill to Hawkesbury to Epping, wherever he sees the cushiest path.
In 2019, he voted against decriminalising abortion in NSW, saying anyone who believes women should have a right to an abortion are on the “wrong side of history”. He has also spoken out against same-sex marriage., saying “Marriage is about every child’s fundamental right to grow up with their own mum and dad.” On voluntary assisted dying he says “The answer to suffering is not to offer death, but care, comfort and compassion.”
There are still unanswered questions about Perrottet’s involvement in very dodgy dealings at icare, the state’s worker’s compensation scheme, which had underpaid up to 52,000 injured workers by up to $80m in compensation.,
The Information and Privacy Commission NSW found that icare had not publicly registered 422 contracts since 2015, each worth more than $150,000. These contracts include some being awarded without a competitive tender to companies associated with Liberal Party figures, such as marketing firm IVE Group being awarded millions of dollars in contracts. IVE Group is run by former NSW Liberal party president Geoff Selig.
An internal note among senior figures in the NSW Treasury in 2018 raised a concern that “a direct line to [Perrottet] means icare often bypasses Treasury”. Other concerns raised included icare’s non-compliance with recruitment policies and limited disclosures of capital expenditures.
Perrottet has decided he knows better than the health authorities how we should handle this pandemic. Back in July, when the vast majority of people were not fully vaccinated, he fervently opposed lockdowns and restrictions, saying, with zero regard for our health workers or the health system, we just had to learn to live with it.
This absolute certainty that he is right, this determination to impose his will, is truly scary.
And if you really want to know the type of man who is now our Premier, this was what he posted on Facebook in response to the election of Donald Trump:
Some people seem surprised by Donald Trump’s success in the US election.
But this result is a victory for people who have been taken for granted by the elites in the political establishment for too long.
There is a silent majority, a forgotten people, who feel like the values they hold dear are no longer being represented by the political class.
In fact, these values and the people who hold them are looked upon with contempt.
If you stand for free speech, you are not a bigot.
If you question man-made climate change, you are not a sceptic.
If you support stronger borders, you are not a racist.
If you want a plebiscite on same sex marriage, you are not a homophobe.
If you love your country, you are not an extremist.
These are mainstream values that people should be free to articulate without fear of ridicule or persecution by the Left.
It’s time for a new political conversation that reflects the concerns of everyday people.
It’s time for a conservative spring.
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