AIIA NSW Government Innovation Forum

NSW Government

In his current role Victor is responsible for the Office of Fair Trading, the NSW Government’s ICT Strategy as well as leading a range of open data, open government, data analytics and innovation initiatives.

Following the appointment of Mike Baird as NSW Premier in April 2014, Victor was appointed Assistant Minister for Education and while retaining his existing portfolio responsibilities, Veterans’ Affairs was added to his official title. Following the Baird Government’s re-election in March 2015, Victor was sworn in as the state’s first Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation.

Victor was born and raised in the Ryde area. He went to secondary school at Marist Brothers, Eastwood before studying law at university. He trained as a lawyer and was admitted to practice in both the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the High Court of Australia in 1991 after taking the Solicitor’s Admission Board Examinations. He worked as a lawyer for 14 years, including eight years as a partner in a commercial law firm, where he represented clients in a number of landmark cases.

In 1995, at the age of 28, Victor was elected as a Councillor of Ryde City Council. He was re-elected in 1999 and remained on Council until 2004. Victor was elected to the NSW Parliament with one of the largest swings in the State’s history, at the by-election held on 18 October 2008.

Prior to his parliamentary career, Victor cherished the opportunity to travel to many places around the world and looks back fondly on his experiences in India, Central and South America, Europe, the US and Asia. He is also a passionate supporter of the West Tigers Rugby League Team.