There’s something magnetic about David Walsh, the professional gambler and owner of the iconic Museum of Old & New Art, who stole the show at the Sohn Hearts & Minds Conference in Hobart.

Anyone who has visited MONA (which hosted Thursday night’s pre-conference welcome) knows that the mercurial and mischievous Walsh loves to provoke a reaction. And he was quite happy to pour a bucket of cold water on the stock pickers, investment bankers and business people who would justifiably consider themselves the cream of Australia’s financial sector.