It's a pity that the evidence for this claim is paywalled in The Australian.

So.. A robot tax punishes people, you say, is that right? Do you suggest that businesses that innovate, and in so doing, PUT HUGE SWATHES OF THE COMMUNITY OUT OF WORK, should be able to pocket the gains and walk away? Seriously? Just where do you think all those displaced people are going to go? As I understand it, the ALP is seeking to balance the equation somewhat and return some degree of dignity to workers. Do you suggest that this is a bad thing? The only folks impacted by this proposed tax are those who'd put people out of work.. because those jobs, once automated, are not coming back. Ever. Such a tax, the funds for which would be dedicated to retraining displaced personnel, is no more nor less than responsible public policy. Who pays taxes? People? or Robots? Who votes? People? or Robots? Businesses will still automate jobs away.. because over time they will recoup the costs; just as they do now. All the alp wants to do, as far as I can tell, is to not have millions of starving people losing their homes.

Another believer in the great BS story spun about a time that never existed & he from WA to or his branch of the IPA imitators is,
Freedom they cry why being the first to deny it to everyone but their right wing selves & fellow travelers.
Robot tax are you sure! the only robot tax I know is a Liberal Govt one & they cant even get that right, punishes people for missing appointments run by the rorting privatized employment service.
Of course your all for privatization but I would say a large majority of Australians hate it, you have a long way to go mate
By the way when or in what century did this golden age exist that you strive for,otherwise your just another cats paw for business who want unions wrecked and serfs back while you masquerade as a charity like the IPA,
I,m curious why you bother, are you like the IPA with Fellows & all that BS they are a joke & I see no reason why your any different, get a real job

A robot tax is just plain dumb, and only ensure our remaining manufacturing and processing is sent offshore.

Opening doors are mostly automated these days and hundreds of occupations, many of them white-collar will go the same way as manufacturing and processing are sent offshore.

If Labor is serious about protecting/improving comparative wages and conditions, it would embrace cooperative capitalism and wherever possible, facilitate and fund that very outcome, while in government!

As the only way in a largely automated world, that all but guarantees wages and living conditions improve with production. THE ONLY WAY!

It does, however, need to assist that very outcome with real tax reform, that is a stand-alone single tax applied to all income above a generous tax-free threshold. Given that tax is a flat tax of 15%, without the need to also collect tax compliance costs, actually becomes around 8% in real terms.

The final nail that fastens it all together is the world's cheapest energy.

Namely, walk away safe, MSR thorium, and it's carbon-free and able to provide power for less than 2 cents per KwH?

Or alternatively just continue with business as usual, and union membership slip sliding away toward irrelevancy. Along with Labor party funding.

Which would be better if sourced from crowdfunding!
Alan B.

Hi ttbn

Maybe the author is working for the Coalition as part of their desperate campaign for Re-election Day 18 May 2019 (or sooner).

Here's part of an AFR article, 19 November 2018, on ROBOT TAX http://www.afr.com/technology/labor-warns-on-robot-tax-if-ai-questions-are-ignored-20181116-h17z3o

"LABOR WARNS ON 'ROBOT TAX' IF AI QUESTIONS ARE IGNORED"

[ALP] "Shadow Minister for the Digital Economy Ed Husic has warned future governments will need to consider dramatic measures like taxing artificially intelligent bots to help fund basic incomes for citizens, if policy makers and business leaders cannot properly address solutions to maintain employment and living standards in the automation era.

Speaking at an Automation Summit in Sydney hosted by Sydney-based AI and robotic process automation services firm Mindfields, Mr Husic spoke at length about the need for government to collaborate better with business to address the issues facing both organisations and workers as more intelligent technology changes the nature of jobs required.

He was asked about suggestions from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates that organisations replacing human workers with bots should face a "robot tax", to help replace the income tax revenue lost and keep more humans in work, and warned that it would become necessary if more preferable positive measures were not implemented...[MUCH MORE]"

BEWARE AFR ARTICLES OFTEN GO BEHIND A PAYWALL AFTER A FEW WEEKS

This looked very much like fake news, as none of the other news sites had any mention of it, and I find it unlikely that Bill Shorten would support something so stupid. But I looked further and found http://www.smartcompany.com.au/technology/australia-robot-tax/ and http://www.afr.com/technology/labor-warns-on-robot-tax-if-ai-questions-are-ignored-20181116-h17z3o

It looks from that as if Ed Husic, in response to a question (probably from a robot tax proponent) was not conducive to a robot tax but did not completely rule it out in all circumstances.

That was nearly 2 months ago. The paywalled story in The Australian was one month ago.

It has been claimed South Korea has introduced the world's first robot tax - but all it's really done is wind back some tax breaks for automation.