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McIlroy birdied the 18th hole to close with a final-round six-under-par 66 to steal the Stonehaven Cup from Scott, who bogeyed the last after leading the tournament from the first morning on Thursday.
Scott had started the day with a four-stroke buffer and never trailed until making a meal of the 72nd hole of the championship.
After driving into the middle of the fairway, he overcooked his approach then blasted his recovery shot long and was unable to save par.
McIlroy, meanwhile, drained his 15-foot birdie attempt to end a 12-month winless streak for the one-time world No.1.
McIlroy finished at 18-under-par, one ahead of Scott, who closed with a one-under-71.
The former world No 1 made a big move on the seventh with an eagle and drew level with Scott when he birdied the eighth.
Scott edged ahead again but made a series of mistakes down the stretch, leaving McIlroy the chance to stay in touch.
And he made a club selection error at the last, hitting his approach way over the green and failing to make par, leaving McIlroy with the chance to win a second Australian Open, a chance he took with aplomb.
"I am gutted, I felt like I never had a better chance to win the Australian Open," Scott said. "It was going to be a tough day, Rory made his move and I just couldn't get my putts in."
"Adam congratulated me on the green. It was hard not to feel some guilt in the way that I won it," said McIlroy.
"To be able to play your best golf when you need to, when you're under pressure, you can't ask for more. The perfect scenario was to achieve a win before the end of the season and thankfully I have done that."
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