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But his latest stunt - and it is hard to see it as anything else - shows a fundamental lack of understanding, apparently fuelled at least in part by the anti-government stance taken by some parts of the media.
In a press release, Mr Kogan echoes an implication made by The Australian (which can hardly be seen as a pro-government publication) that the digital TV set-top boxes delivered under the Household Assistance Scheme are costing an average of $698.
This shows a lack of understanding of the scheme, which is only available to maximum rate recipients of the Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, Carer Payment, or Department of Veterans' Affairs Service Pension or Income Support Supplement.
It is not so much about putting a $70 (or whatever the going price is) HD set-top box into the hands of these people. Even at the fairly modest pensions they receive, it's hard to imagine that paying $70 to be able to continue to receive existing TV stations - not to mention the additional digital channels - would be out of the question. Would you deliberately do without the extra channels just to make sure you qualified for a free box down the track? When you think about it, the people taking up the offer are likely to be those who knew or at least had good reason to suspect that they needed more than just a set-top box.
What's the scheme really about? Please read on.
