An Australian infrastructure finance corporation could boost economic growth and jobs as smart machines increasingly replace workers in many industries. Foxconn, which produces Apple iPhones and other consumer electronics, recently announced plans to replace much of its Chinese workforce of more than 1.2 million with robots over the next decade. This example is just the tip of the iceberg. Bank of America Merrill…

Climate unknowns Sir,                                                                                                     From many years in finance, I learned to judge retirement projections based on set calculations with some suspicion. Advisers were discouraged from giving out these presentations about 25 years ago. The reason was that not all circumstances could be included or covered in forward predictions and could even lead to future claims of dishonesty. The chances…

The latest installment of Australia’s epic tax debate has begun with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull deciding to risk his newfound burgeoning political capital on turning his government’s energies into another round of tax reform. Bill Shorten’s educational counters. But whatever route he decides to take, there are dangers for Mr Turnbull, as history has shown that any changes to tax remain a potent…

  THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE: A History of Violence and Humanity by Steven Pinker (Penguin UK, London) Paperback: 832 pages ISBN: 9780141034645 Price: AUD$29.99   Reviewed by Peter Madison   Harvard linguist and cognitive scientist Steven Pinker has added to his growing bibliography of popular science books an account of “violence and humanity”. The Better Angels of Our Nature aims to…