You would think that after the disastrous home insulation scheme the Government would have learned that throwing money at people for doing nothing but make the Government popular would end in rip-offs and even deaths.

Now we have the set-top box debacle emerging in which the Government is offering grants of up to $400 for pensioners to receive digital set-top boxes so they can continue to watch "Neighbours" when the analogue signal goes off. Harvey Norman said they could do it for  for $200. Your neighbour will do it for $50 and a beer.

 So, let's guess how this will play out. Some contractor buys 1000 of them for $20 each, spends on average 10 minutes installing the device and pockets $400 from the Government. Sure, the odd one will need a new antenna and a bit of cabling- wow that might take the total cost up to $100.

And already, days after the budget, the shonks are out there:

Companies being paid $350 a time to install set-top boxes for pensioners are offering sub-contractors the work for as little as $84.
Tender documents show the Government is making lavish incentive payments for quick installations under the controversial scheme to give all pensioners access to digital television. But Victorian-based Skybridge, one of two companies which have so far won the bulk of the installation work, has offered businesses in western NSW just $84.
The company is linked to another operation set up under a similar name in 2009 to install home insulation under the Government’s bungled pink batts scheme.

 So how long until a house fire or a fatality is linked to this rort?

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