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The Pearcey Foundation

The Pearcey Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded in 1998 in memory of a great Australian ICT pioneer Dr Trevor Pearcey. The Foundation operates broadly across the Australian Information Computing and Telecommunication (ICT) technologies sector, from celebrating achievements through national and state awards, to being involved in debate and public policy on critical national issues such as productivity, the digital economy and national infrastructure.

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AUSTRALIA 4.0 - ICT enabling Net Zero

Australia 4.0 is a constructive space for all stakeholders to discuss the challenges, opportunities and solutions for the transition of Australia to a Net Zero energy system.

A series of hybrid events:

First session focused on "Creating an Open Data Architecture" and was hosted by CSIRO in Sydney on September 3^rd.

Second session October 2^nd hosted by Engineers Australia in Canberra.

Third session October 29^th hosted by Cremorne Digital Hub and RACE for 2030 CRC in Melbourne.

Fourth session February 12^th, 2025 hosted by Standards Australia in Sydney.

Registration link coming soon ....

Download the Australia 4.0 Communiqué .................. and White Paper

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This is our 26^th year of awards, focussed exclusively on outstanding individuals drawn from across our vast geography.

We present 11 awards each year and have done so for a long time - recognising over 170 Australian ICT luminaries and entrepreneurs, as highlighted on this website.

Nominate now for Pearcey Awards

Heritage Projects - many activities including publication of 1^st authoritative history of Australian computing, national oral history of Australian ICT, and an IEEE milestone for CSIRAC.

Latest News

Nov 11, 2024

Biography - Trevor Pearcey

Mrs Barbara Ainsworth, Curator of the Monash Museum of Computing History has published a new biography of Dr Trevor Pearcey, Dean of the School of Computing and Information Systems (1980-1984).

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Nov 6, 2024

2024 NSW Award

At a special Pearcey Foundation awards night in Sydney on Thursday 7 November 2024, Prof Michael J. Biercuk PhD, CEO and founder of Q-CTRL, was announced as the recipient of the 2024 NSW Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Professor Biercuk is a global science and technology innovator building the greenfield quantum technology industry.

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Oct 31, 2024

Pearcey Award Recipient on TV

Chris Piastri, recipient of the 2024 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award is interviewed by 9News about his Pearcey award and the work he has done to receive this prestigious recognition.

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Sep 24, 2024

2024 ACT Award

The founders of CEA Technologies, Ian Croser and David Gaul, were the recipients of the 2024 ACT Chief Minister’s Pearcey Award. The award was presented at a special Pearcey event in Canberra on the 25th of September 2024 by the ACT Chief Minister, Andrew Barr.

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Sep 6, 2024

2024 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award

The 2024 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award presented to Chris Piastri, co-founder and CTO of HP Tuners. Award was presented at a special dinner in Melbourne, by Professor Eduard Hovy, Executive Director of Melbourne Connect at the University of Melbourne. This was the flagship event of the Melbourne Connect Innovation Week.

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Sep 6, 2024

2024 Pearcey Oration

The 2024 pearcey Oration Taking the Tiger by the Tail – a digital future for Australia that works for us all! was delivered by Dr Ian Oppermann on Wednesday September 4^th 2024. Dr Oppermann looked through the digital and data lens to delve into challenges, issues and opportunities for equity, AI, privacy, cybersecurity, standards and collaboration.

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Jul 31, 2024

Musica ex Machina

Musica ex Machina: Machines Thinking Musically is an exhibition at EPFL Pavilions in Lausanne, Switzerland, that explores the intersections of algorithmic and computational thinking in music. The exhibition highlights the evolution of these concepts from historical to contemporary contexts, showcasing how technological advances have expanded musical possibilities. A significant part of the exhibition is dedicated to CSIRAC, the first computer to play music, featuring its pioneering role in the history of computer music. CSIRAC's contributions are illustrated through historical documentation and audiovisual installations. More details about the exhibition and its themes can be found here . Details about the associated symposium are here

Jul 19, 2024

2024 WA Award

Peter van der Made, founder and CTO of Brainchip Inc was announced as the 2024 WA Pearcey Entrepreneur Awardee at the 33rd WAITTA Incite Awards in Perth on 19th July 2024.

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May 6, 2024

2023 Pearcey Oration

The 2023 Pearcey Oration, The Quantum Revolution: Australia leads the world into the new age of computing – again!!, was presented by Professor Michelle Simmons AO, on Wednesday 6 September 2023. Professor Simmons gave a passionate and exciting insight into the opportunity for Australia to once again be at the global forefront in manufacturing advanced technology computers.

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Apr 26, 2024

Australia 4.0 Communiqué

Australia 4.0 Communiqué examines the challenges and opportunities for Australian energy networks as the nation transitions to a net zero economy.

Australia 4.0 is a Pearcey Foundation initiative to spark collaboration between the energy and ICT sectors to help Australia move towards a net zero energy system.

Read the official media release.

Mar 30, 2024

VIP Launch - Australia 4.0 Communiqué

The Honourable Ed Husic MP, Minister for Industry and Science will launch the Australia 4.0 Communiqué which outlines five pilot projects to accelerate the progress towards the ultimate goal of a net-zero energy system for Australia.

Australia 4.0 is an initiative of the Pearcey Foundation to help our nation move towards a net zero energy system by enabling the innovative contributions of the ICT sector in collaboration with the energy sector. Over 100 discrete business and regulatory challenges identified, were synthesised into to 10 key challenges with three overarching themes.

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Mar 5, 2024

Jeff Whittle Obituary

Jeff Whittle AO FACS passed away on 5^th February 2024 at the age of 93. His legacy is profound and not only in IT. He was made an Officer (AO) of the general division of the Order of Australia for "Distinguished service to the information technology sector and the mining industry, particularly through the development of industry standard computer programs for strategic mine planning and optimisation”.

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Jan 26, 2024

Jordan Green Awarded AM

The Pearcey Foundation's own Board member and Secretary, Jordan Green, was awarded an AM in the Australia Day 2024 Honours List. Jordan was recognised for his significant service to business, particularly through Angel investing, and to professional associations.

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Nov 19, 2023

Vale Ariel Liebman

Professor Ariel Liebman was a key supporter of Australia 4.0. He worked at the intersection of ICT and the future renewable grid. Ariel was going to moderate one of the Australia 4.0 sessions but, since he was to be overseas at the time, he arranged for other colleagues to assist. Sadly, Ariel passed away after a brief illness on November 9^th 2023 and will be sorely missed by his family, friends and colleagues.

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Nov 10, 2023

2023 Tasmania Award

The 2023 Tasmanian Pearcey State Entrepreneurship Award was presented to Damian Ivereigh, founder and Chief Network Architect of Tasmania-based ISP Launtel. The presentation was made by Tasmanian Minister for Small Business and Science and Technology, the Hon Madeleine Ogilvie at the TasICT Conference Gala Dinner tonight at the C3 Convention Centre in Hobart on the evening of Friday 10^th November.

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Nov 1, 2023

2023 National Awards Announced

On October 31st in Sydney the Pearcey Foundation celebrated its jubilee year and presented its national awards. This included the Pearcey Medal awarded to Aidan and David Tudehope, co-founders of Macquarie Technology Group and Pearcey Fame inductees, Richard White, Founder and CEO of Wisetech Global, and Professor Jean Armstrong, engineer, inventor, teacher and researcher. The Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award recipient was Didier Elzinga, Founder and CEO of CultureAmp.

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Oct 30, 2023

2023 Pearcey Entrepreneur Award

The 2023 Pearcey National Entrepreneur Award was presented to Didier Elzinga founder and CEO of Culture Amp, by Rick Harvey, National Awards Director of the Pearcey Foundation at the prestigious 2023 Pearcey National Awards gala dinner, in Sydney.

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Oct 30, 2023

2023 Pearcey Hall of Fame

The Pearcey Foundation announced that Richard White and Professor Jean Armstrong were elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame. The presentations were made at the 2023 Pearcey National Awards gala dinner on Monday 30 October 2023 in Sydney.

The Pearcey Hall of Fame is an individual award that recognises a distinguished lifetime of achievement and contribution to the development and growth of the Australian ICT industry.

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Oct 30, 2023

2023 Pearcey Medal

The Pearcey Medal, the most prestigious annual individual award in the Australian ICT industry, in its 25^th year, was awarded to brothers, Aidan and David Tudehope. David and Aiden founded Macquarie Technology Group in 1992 and have guided their company to become a fully integrated carrier, supplying voice, mobile, data networks & managed hosting solutions to business & government users in Australia & Asia.

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Oct 18, 2023

2023 Queensland Pearcey ICT Entrepreneur Award Recognises Yas Grigaliunas

Brisbane, Australia – 18 October 2023 – The Pearcey Foundation today announced Yas Grigaliunas, founder and chief evangelist of Circonomy, as the recipient of the 2023 Queensland ICT Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The Pearcey Foundation also gave a highly commended award to Geoff Augutis.

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Oct 17, 2023

2023 ACT Pearcey Award

At a special Pearcey Foundation roundtable event, Marcus Dawe was awarded the ACT Chief Minister’s Pearcey Entrepreneur Award by the ACT Chief Minister, Andrew Barr. Marcus is CEO of MCi Carbon, a clean energy scale-up that started in Canberra 17 years ago. Marcus has mentored many rising entrepreneurs over last 10 years. This year, the Pearcey Foundation is pleased to announce him as the 2023 ACT Chief Minister’s Pearcey Entrepreneur for his involvement in MCi Carbon.

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Oct 9, 2023

National Awards Gala

25 years ago, the Foundation launched on its mission to celebrate, support and encourage Australians who engage in, and excel at, the invention, development and use of information, communication and computing technologies (ICT) for the betterment of our society.

Building on the work of Dr Trevor Pearcey and his invention of the first digital computer in Australia, which put us at the global forefront of the digital age, we have recognised outstanding Australians:

161 Pearcey Entrepreneur Awards
62 Pearcey Hall of Famers
24 Pearcey Medals

Peer-selection is the hallmark of the Pearcey awards. Selected by past award recipients, this is the community recognising the significant achievements of its peers.

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Oct 9, 2023

Australia 4.0 Summit

A half-day gathering to review the findings from our seven national discussions. The Australia 4.0 discussion series and summit are designed to open the door to substantial innovation and business opportunities throughout the Australian ICT sector.

These activities explore the profound changes required of the Australian electricity system to realise a Net Zero Australia. This outcome demands significant collaboration between the energy and ICT sectors.

The Australia 4.0 Summit is intended to include diverse perspectives, across key stakeholders, exploring the opportunities for the Australian ICT sector to contribute to the transition to Net Zero of the Australian electricity system.

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Oct 4, 2023

2023 NSW Award

The 2023 Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year award for NSW was presented to Emma Weston, co-founder and CEO of AgriDigital, on 4 October at ASX. The award was presented by Wayne Fitzsimmons, OAM. Under Emma's leadership, AgriDigital has become a pioneering force in digitalising global agricultural supply chains, connecting farmers directly to consumers.

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Oct 4, 2023

Ada Lovelace Day 2023

Ada Lovelace Day honours all the innovative women in STEM, commemorating their ingenuity that has changed the course of history.

Proudly sponsored by the Pearcey Foundation.

The Monash University Faculty of IT is exploring the role of Australian women in early digital computing – and the opportunities in the future. Join us for insightful speeches, a thought-provoking panel discussion and networking over a light lunch in our celebration ‘Australian women in IT yesterday, today and tomorrow’ which will be opened by Professor Ann Nicholson, the first female Dean of our faculty. It will then venture into the life of Ada Lovelace and how women can carry on her legacy of impact today and tomorrow.

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Sep 30, 2023

2023 VIC Pearcey Award

The 2023 Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award presented to Didier Elzinga, founder and CEO of Culture Amp. Award was presented at a special dinner in Melbourne, by the Honourable Ben Carroll MP, Minister for Industry & Innovation, State Government of Victoria. A flagship event of the Victorian Digital Innovation Festival and of the Melbourne Connect Innovation Week

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Sep 7, 2023

Australia's First Digital Computer on ABC Sunday Extra

In 1955, the first digital computer arrived in Australia in Melbourne, called CSIRAC. It is the world's oldest surviving first-generation electronic computer and the first computer to produce digital music.

Our guest was the former Head of the Dept of Computer Science at the Uni of Melbourne and explains how CSIRAC led to the rapid adoption of computing at the university and fostered the discipline.

Guest: Dr Peter Thorne, former Head of the Department of Computer Science, University of Melbourne, Chair, Heritage Committee, The Pearcey Foundation. Broadcast 3 Sep 2023

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Aug 14, 2023

Australia 4.0 DIF Session

Join us for this very special Australia 4.0 DIF session, presented in partnership by the Pearcey Foundation and ACS. This event will look at whether the existing telecommunications infrastructure (e.g., NBN, existing Internet services, 5G and the like) can support the needs of the next generation electricity distribution and transmission networks as Australia transitions to a Net Zero emissions world. The panel will explore the opportunities for ICT professionals to enable and enhance the transition of the Australian electricity system to the Net Zero Emissions model.

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Aug 11, 2023

2023 WA Award

The 2023 WA Pearcey Entrepreneur Award was presented to Pia Turcinov AM, Director FundWA, at the 32nd WAITTA Incite Awards, Westin Perth, Friday 11 August 2023.

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Jul 31, 2023

Vale Harry Wragge AM

Many of us recall Harry as the crusty but jovial former head of TRL – Telecom Research Labs, for many years. His passing on 31 July at age 93 marks the end of an era when Telecom Australia dominated all aspects of Telecommunications in Australia.

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Jun 27, 2023

Australia 4.0 Session # 6 - Critical Digital Technologies

Join us for the 6th and final session in this series of national discussions with leading experts to explore the challenges and opportunities for the ICT sector in the transformation of our electricity system to Australia Net Zero.

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Jun 27, 2023

Australia 4.0 Session # 5 - Consumer Grid

Join us for the 5th in this series of national discussions with leading experts to explore the challenges and opportunities for the ICT sector in the transformation of our electricity system to Australia Net Zero.

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Jun 27, 2023

Australia 4.0 Session # 4 - Energy Resilience

Join us for the 4th in this series of national discussions with leading experts to explore the challenges and opportunities for the ICT sector in the transformation of our electricity system to Australia Net Zero.

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Jun 27, 2023

Australia 4.0 Session # 3 - Network Intelligence

Join us for the 3rd in this series of national discussions with leading experts to explore the challenges and opportunities for the ICT sector in the transformation of our electricity system to Australia Net Zero.

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Jun 26, 2023

Australia 4.0 Session # 2 - Future Grid

Join us for the 2nd in this series of national discussions with leading experts to explore the challenges and opportunities for the ICT sector in the transformation of our electricity system to Australia Net Zero.

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Jun 20, 2023

Australia 4.0 Session #1

Join us for the first in this series of national discussions with leading experts to explore the challenges and opportunities for the ICT sector in the transformation of our electricity system to Australia Net Zero

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Jun 16, 2023

Vale Max Burnet OAM (1941-2023)

Max was a graduate of the University of Melbourne and spent four years at Weapons Research Establishment in Salisbury (South Australia) before returning to Melbourne to start Digital Equipment’s Australian operations in 1967. Max was pioneer in the recognition and retention of our computing heritage and an authority on early Australian-made computers.

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Jun 16, 2023

Australia 4.0 - path to Net Zero

Australia 4.0 is a Pearcey Foundation thought leadership initiative to identify and discuss the challenges and opportunities of a digital and data enabled transformation of the electricity sector to Australia Net Zero.

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Apr 20, 2023

Vale Brian Finn AO - 1937-2023

One of Australia’s outstanding ICT pioneers, Brian Finn passed this week.

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Nov 13, 2022

Our Latest IT Industry Greats: Pearcey Foundation Presents its 2022 National Awards

John de Margheriti awarded the 2022 Pearcey Medal; Len Rust and Bevan Slattery inducted into the Pearcey Hall of Fame; Dr Mark Englund receives National Entrepreneur Award

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Nov 11, 2022

2022 Pearcey Medal

The 2022 Pearcey Medal was presented to John De Margheriti, widely seen as a founding 'father' of Australia's video games industry. The presentation was made in Hobart by Hon Madeleine Ogilvie MP, Tasmanian Minister for Science and Technology at a gala dinner held in conjunction with the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and TasICT.

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Nov 11, 2022

From ‘Tinkering’ on the Farm to Innovative Custom Drone Solutions: Tasmanian Entrepreneur Andrew Davies Recognised by Pearcey

The Pearcey Foundation today announced Andrew Davies, founder and CEO of Taz Drone Solutions, as the recipient of the 2022 Tasmanian Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

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Awards

The Pearcey Foundation's annual awards recognise and celebrate outstanding individuals in Australian ICT.

National Awards • State Awards • Nominations

The Heritage Project

The Pearcey Foundation intends to extend the Heritage Project well beyond Phase One (the book) – with the aim to become ‘the’ central repository – hosting a ‘virtual museum’ of Australia’s computing artefacts, documents and oral histories from key players.

The Project

Kind Words

Australians have all too often seen themselves as observers rather than participants in the digital revolution, but that does not do justice to our history. The Pearcey Foundation plays a very important role in highlighting the real contributions Australians have made in the past, and in so doing will help inspire the next generation of Australian digital innovators.

Charlie Day
Former CEO, Innovation and Science Australia

The Pearcey Foundation’s project to document Australia’s achievements in the computer age is a critically important endeavour. A central repository, that documents the central role of our universities and CSIRO and the individual contributions of academics and entrepreneurs, will be an essential resource for future policy makers and for students, research workers and entrepreneurs.

Alex Zelinsky AO
Vice-Chancellor and President, University of Newcastle

Australians are a nation of storytellers. Stories make us laugh and they make us cry, they remind us who we are and they inspire us, and let us celebrate our successes and failures. Australia has much to celebrate when it comes to the digital age, from pioneering work in computer science through to innovative cloud services. The Pearcey Foundation Heritage Project will be an inspiration to future generations of Australians.

Founder
Australian Ocean Lab and Former Engineering Director, Google Australia

Initiatives

The Pearcey Foundation is actively involved in many initiatives to help promote and accelerate the Australian ICT industry.

Thought Leadership • Australia 3.0 • Australia 4.0 • ICT Heritage • Pearcey Institute

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In memory of

Dr Trevor Pearcey

The Pearcey Foundation Inc. was established in 1998 to raise the profile of the Australian Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Industry and profession. It was created in the memory of one of the greatest pioneers of the Australian ICT industry, Dr Trevor Pearcey.