Broom's magnificent unbeaten 117, off just 56 balls, provided the backbone of a stunning total of 242 for four that was always going to be too tough for the Australians.
The Volts are absolutely humming, and one win from the next two games should seal their place in the Champions League semifinals and a shot at up to $3 million in prize money.
Yesterday was a 14th consecutive win, almost unimaginable in a form of the game that so often relies on a slice of luck.
Almost as significantly, it showed that Otago, while loaded with star power in the form of the McCullum brothers, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Hamish Rutherford, Jimmy Neesham and Ian Butler, can also call on other troops.
Broom does not have the profile of a big gun but he has plenty of experience, including time with the Black Caps, and seems to have benefited from laser surgery for his eyesight.
Talked up by his captain before the tournament, he has delivered when it mattered most.
''It feels like I've been hitting it all right and to get a few runs today was nice,'' Broom said after the game.
''To win like that was pretty pleasing.''
His innings was put into perspective by Otago coach Vaughn Johnson.
''That was the best innings I've seen live in the history of T20 cricket. He played magnificently well,'' Johnson said.
''We knew Neil was due. He had a couple of starts, so this didn't surprise us.''
Otago is second in pool A, with a win and a no-result. Its next game is against the Highveld Lions on Sunday night (NZ time).
The Volts made a terrible start to the game against the Scorchers, losing Rutherford and Brendon McCullum in the third over to the first two balls young left-armer Joel Paris delivered on debut.
Broom and Derek de Boorder looked a little scratchy but when they got going, the scoreboard started to tick over.
De Boorder whacked 45 off 28 balls and then things really got crazy. Ten Doeschate, as he does, started swinging as soon as he got to the crease, and was nothing short of brutal on the leg side.
He and Broom took 23 runs off the 12th over, and Broom reached 50 (34 balls) with a long shot off Michael Beer.
What followed was a whirlwind. Broom took just 17 more balls to reach his maiden T20 century, whacking four sixes - three in a row in the 19th over - off Paris.
Ten Doeschate reached 50 in 21 balls, and had raced to 66 (25 balls, including six sixes) when he holed out. The Broom-Ten Doeschate partnership had realised a thrilling 128 runs off just 48 balls.
Jimmy Neesham stroked consecutive boundaries in the final over as the Volts' onslaught ended.
Perth slumped to 11 for three in reply, with Ian Butler taking a wicket with the first ball of the innings and also running out Simon Katich.
Hilton Cartwright scored his maiden half-century, finishing unbeaten on 69, but the Scorchers were always going to finish well short. Butler's outstanding tournament continued with a three-wicket bag.
Johnson acknowledged it was ''pretty special'' that Otago's winning streak had moved to 14.
''We're still trying to take one game at a time. A lot of these sides don't know a lot about us, and it would be nice to think we can keep flying under the radar.
''We're probably going to be targeted now, so we have to up the intensity in our next two games.''
In the other pool A game, the Rajasthan Royals beat the Highveld Lions by 30 runs, Brad Hodge scored an unbeaten 46 to lead the Royals to 183 for five, and legspinner Pravin Tambe took four wickets as the Lions reached 153 for nine.
Broom's blast
The records
- 117 not out was Neil Broom's highest T20 score. His previous best was 79 not out.
- It was an Otago record. Other Otago centuries have been scored by Brendon McCullum (108 not out and 103 not out), Chris Gaffaney (101) and Aaron Redmond (100 not out).
- It was the third-highest innings in Champions League history. David Warner scored 134 not out and 123 not out for New South Wales in 2011.
- Otago's 242 for four was a Champions League record. The previous best was the 215 for eight scored by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011.
- The total was Otago's highest in T20 cricket, trumping its 222 for three scored against Canterbury in 2009.
- Otago's streak of 14 T20 wins is now a clear second in the record books.
