Why did New South Wales MP Victor Dominello announce his retirement? Senior minister to leave politics after after 14 years of involvement

New South Wales' Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, Minister for Small Business and Minister for Fair Trading Victor Dominello has announced that he will retire from politics at the next state election, after 14 long years in governance.

Stating why, Dominello noted that he could not continue in his post due to a "family health issue." In a note to his followers on Twitter, the MP explained why. The note reads:

"To our Twitter community... I have made the difficult decision to retire from politics. A family health issue emerged in mid-2019 which has since deteriorated. Accordingly, I will not contest the next election in March 2023."

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Victor Dominello resigns due to a detoriorating "family health issue"

While speaking to 2GB Radio, Victor Dominello had mentioned a family member being diagnosed with an illness in May 2019. Discussing the issue with host Ben Fordham, the minister said:

"The condition is one of those conditions that only gets worse so I knew that this was going to be the end."

Dominello also stated that he planned to leave as soon as former Premier Gladys Berejiklian stepped down. Victor explained how Premier Dominic Perrottet inspired him to stay in office:

"I wanted to go when Glad [Gladys Berejiklian] left because I thought that was a pretty good juncture as well because the diagnosis came in May 2019. I spoke to Dom [Dominic Perrottet] and he encouraged me to stay until the end of the term so I did that."

He further said:

"To his [Dominic Perrottet] credit he put the pros and cons and he’s actually a very compassionate human being and I can only thank him for his support he’s actually a very decent human being."

In a statement released to the public, premier Dominic Perrottet praised Victor Dominello for his hard work towards New South Wales. Perrottet mentioned that the MP has delivered on critical "nation-leading initiatives such as the Digital Driver License." He added:

"He has also overseen the transformation of Service NSW, which has fundamentally changed the way people interact with the NSW Government, and helped them access support and save time and money."

Victor Dominello oversaw Service NSW's digital evolution and was invested throughout the app's development. He was part of the team that pioneered QR check-ins and Dine & Discover vouchers, which were crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Daily Mail reports that Victor Dominello's retirement comes at a time when the Perrottet administration is embroiled in several scandals, including the 'jobs for the boys' scandal involving John Barilaro.

There have also been claims of harassment and bullying in the office of former Fair Trading Minister Eleni Petinos.

Moreover, the NSW Government has lost many members since 2019 including Kiama MP Gareth Ward and Drummoyne member John Sidoti. While Vaucluse MP Gabrielle Upton is expected to leave in March.

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Taking to LinkedIn, Victor Dominello further outlined the tasks that he is aiming to complete before he completely leaves his position in March 2023.

He noted that there is "still lots of work to be done" including major work on digital birth certificates, education wallets, verifiable credentials, eConveyancing reform, health app, digital blue book, e-construction, e-regulation, pet register, strata portal, cyber security, and artificial intelligence.

Victor Dominello also lauded premier Dominic Perrottet for his "leadership, vision and reform zeal" while thanking his social media followers for offering "both positive and constructive" ideas throughout his political career.