When you meet Victor Dominello, it’s hard not to be struck by his sharp intellect, deep sense of purpose, and remarkable impact on public life.

As a former senior minister in the New South Wales Government, Victor has carved out a legacy as one of Australia’s leading innovators, earning global recognition for pioneering the world’s first Minister for Customer Service and Digital role in 2019.

Named one of Australia’s Top 100 Innovators by The Australian in July 2022, Victor’s 12 years in cabinet saw him oversee critical portfolios spanning digital government, finance, innovation, and Aboriginal Affairs.

Before politics, however, Victor’s journey began not with technology or governance but the law.

A trained litigation lawyer, he practised for over a decade, rising to become a partner in a commercial law firm. That analytical, evidence-driven, and systems-oriented legal foundation would become the bedrock for his later political achievements.

When I sat down with Victor for this conversation, I was reminded of how grateful I am to have known and advised him over the years. It’s a privilege to share time with someone whose domestic and international reputation precedes them.

Yet, as I reminded him, even the most respected public figures start somewhere. So I asked: Where did his journey begin? What set him on the path to becoming not just a minister, but a name, a brand, and a leader in the digital government space?

Victor was quick to point to a defining chapter early in his political life: his time as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

Looking back at his inaugural speech, he told me, there was no mention of data, digital transformation, or customer experience, which would later define his ministerial brand.

But everything changed in 2012 or 2013 when a harrowing incident of child sexual abuse in a remote community forced Victor and a group of ministers to confront the systemic failures of siloed government departments.

I listened closely as Victor recounted the moment that reshaped his purpose.

Health, police, education, and community services each had isolated data but no unified system or real-time indicators.

When Victor asked the Department of Education how many children weren’t in school, a key red flag, they told him they’d get back to him in a month. A month. For children already falling through the cracks.

In that moment, Victor told me, he made a personal vow: every day he had the privilege of serving in parliament, he would “digitise the bejesus” out of everything he touched.

Not for the sake of technology itself, but to create visibility, accountability, and above all, better outcomes, especially for the most vulnerable.

This, Victor explained, is where the seeds of his digital transformation journey were sown: not in flashy innovations or apps, but in a deep moral drive to use data and systems to protect human lives.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - INTRO
02:02 - VICTOR ON BUILDING HIS NAME, REPUTATION, AND BRAND
05:54 - ENVIRONMENT THAT TAUGHT VALUES AND PRINCIPLES
09:10: - THE DATA MONKEY
13:32 - I SEE MYSELF AS A BRAND
16:40 - THE VALUES
18:45 - THE IMPORTANCE OF REPUTATION
23:14 - FOCUS ON THE POLICY AND TRYING TO GET THE RIGHT OUTCOMES
27:18 - TRYING TO MAINTAIN INTEGRITY
32:53 - SPRITE PRINCIPLE
36:40 - A TIME WHEN VICTOR'S VALUES WERE TESTED
38:44 - VICTOR'S LEADERSHIP STYLE
42:01 - VICTOR'S LEADERSHIP VALUES
43:45 - VICTOR'S SKILLS AND TRAITS TO BE AN ASTUTE LEADER
46:13 - MENTORS WHO HELPED VICTOR TO MAKE AN IMPACT
48:20 - OUTRO