Scott was born in Melbourne, Victoria, and received a Bachelor of Arts majoring in politics from La Trobe University.

In 2006, Robin Scott was selected as the Labor candidate for Preston, a safe seat being vacated by sitting member Michael Leighton.

Scott served as Victorian Labor's Shadow Minister for Finance and WorkCover after their loss at the 2010 state election.

Following the 2018 state election, Scott became Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Veterans in the second Andrews Ministry.

[1] He resigned from his ministerial positions on 15 June 2020 following a hearing before the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) into political expenses and branch stacking.