INTHEBLACK April 2026 - Magazine - Page 12
F E AT U R E
FROM
LEDGERS
TO AI
Since 1886, accountants
have evolved from bean
counters to boardroom
strategists and data-driven
decision-makers.
WORDS CAMERON COOPER
1886
1887
Late 19th century
1914–18
1915
On 12 April, in the
offices of Davey,
Flack & Co in
Melbourne, a group
of accountants set
up the Incorporated
Institute of Accountants,
Victoria (IIAV, now
known as CPA Australia)
with a remit to improve
the profession’s training,
standards and ethics.
The IIAV is officially
registered.
As the impact of the
Industrial Revolution
peaks, demand
grows for skilled
financial accountants,
external auditors and
cost accountants to
manage increasingly
complex operations
and investments
such as railways,
large enterprises
and limited liability
companies.
During World War I,
Australian accountants
are instrumental in
the rollout of a
centralised federal
taxation system to
help fund war efforts.
In 1915, a federal
income tax
is introduced
in Australia, requiring
new accounting
expertise.
Mary Addison Hamilton
becomes a member
of the Institute of
Accountants and
Auditors of Western
Australia as the first
woman to be admitted
to a professional
accounting body in
the Commonwealth.
12 INTHEBLACK APRIL 2026 SPECIAL EDITION
