The Pearcey Oration is presented each year by an eminent expert.
The oration gives an opportunity to explore, in depth, critical contemporary issues arising from the introduction and adoption of new and advanced technologies into our society.
Recent orations are available on our YouTube Pearcey Orations playlist.
The Pearcey Foundation very much appreciates the generous support by the Victorian Government over many years.
Since 2016, the presentation of Victorian Pearcey Award has been proudly part of the Victorian Government's Digital Innovation Festival (DIF).
The 2021 Pearcey Oration was held on Wednesday 1 September 2021 and following the presentation of the 2021 Victorian State Entrepreneur Award. These two events were sponsored by the Victorian Government and form key elements of the Digital Innovation Festival (DIF) in its sixth year of celebration of Victoria's tech community. The 2021 Pearcey Oration explored the central topic of Digital Transformation - Australia as a World Leader through the lens of the most digitised revenue agency on the planet, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
2020 Pearcey Oration was held on Wednesday 2 September 2020 and following the presentation of the 2020 Victorian State Entrepreneur Award. These two events were sponsored by the Victorian Government and form key elements of the Digital Innovation Festival (DIF) in its fifth year of celebration of Victoria's tech community. The 2020 Pearcey Oration explored the very pertinent topic of Resilience, specifically: How do we address our resilience and preparedness in this age of mistrust?
In 2019, the Pearcey Oration was given by Roger Taylor, Chair of the UK Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation. It was presented in conjunction with the Victorian State Entrepreneur Award at a sit-down dinner on the evening of Tuesday 27th August, 2019 at the Woodward Centre, Melbourne Law School.
The 2018 Pearcey Oration was delivered by Mr Paul Shetler, a technologist and entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience working on large projects in the technology industry and in guiding major government digital initiatives. The provocative talk was entitled "Be Bold Australia!".
The 2017 Pearcey Oration was delivered by Ms Jo Burston, founder and CEO of Job Capital, co-founder and director of Phronesis.Academy and founder of the entrepreneurial movement Inspiring Rare Birds. The Oration was given in the evening of Monday 28 August 2017, at The Hub in Bourke Street, Melbourne as part of Vic Government's Digital Innovation Festival.