Meet the Inspector-General

Tony Pearce – Inspector-General

Tony was appointed Victoria’s first Inspector-General for Emergency Management in July 2014.

An independent Governor in Council statutory appointment, Tony works closely with emergency management sector partners, and the community to strengthen Victoria's emergency management arrangements, and enhance community safety.

For 41 years he has worked in intelligence, security and emergency/crisis management performing senior operational functions in a number of Victorian emergency service organisations before moving to senior crisis coordination and policy positions. Tony has held several senior roles in both state and federal government including four years in the role of Director-General, Emergency Management Australia.

He holds Graduate and Post Graduate qualifications in Management, Health Science, Emergency Management, and Public Administration and is a graduate of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government, Victorian Leadership Development Centre, and Victorian Leadership Academy.

Tony was founding President and Patron of the Oceania Council of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) and a Global Board Member of the IAEM. He is the former Chair of the International Advisory Committee of the Centre for Disaster Management and Public Safety at Melbourne University, a former Advisory Board Member to the Monash University Disaster Resilience Initiative, and a Fellow of the Centre for Emergency and Disaster Management at Queensland University of Technology.

Currently, Tony is Chair of the Emergency Services Foundation (External link) (ESF), a Blue Ribbon Day Council (External link) Board Member, and Swinburne University Advisory Board Member to the ARC project on ‘Collective Action and Collaborative Governance in Crisis Situations’.

Tony has dedicated his professional career to improving community safety outcomes and through his role as ESF Chair is a passionate advocate for improving the mental health and well-being of emergency service/management paid staff and volunteers.