The Bureau of Meteorology’s new chief executive, Stuart Minchin, has attributed a “miscommunication” to the uproar over the agency’s costly website redesign. The project, which has drawn criticism for its $96.5 million price tag, was approved by the Turnbull government as part of a comprehensive overhaul of the bureau’s computer systems.
Politicians have been quick to criticize the bureau after it emerged that the new website cost taxpayers significantly more than the previously stated $4.1 million. However, Minchin, who has been in his role for just two weeks, clarified that the redesign was merely one component of a larger end-to-end technology rebuild. This initiative was prompted by a 2015 cyber attack that threatened to “take down the whole system.”
“I totally understand the miscommunication that led to this perception in the public, but I want to make it clear that it was always going to cost a lot more than $4 million,” Minchin told the ABC. “It was originally scoped back in 2017 and funded and approved by Cabinet at that time. Overall, the program was always intended to be in the order of $80 million.”
Understanding the Cost and Delays
Minchin blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for delays and a “15 percent cost blow-out,” while defending the necessity of the upgrade. “The $96.5 million that we’re talking about was not just the front end of the website, the tip of the iceberg that the public sees, but the back end,” he explained. “This includes data flowing from tens of thousands of pieces of equipment in the field, to the supercomputer that does all the modeling, right through to systems that actually forecast the weather and put it through to the website.”
He emphasized the importance of securing every part of the system to prevent future cyber attacks. “So every bit of that chain had to be hardened and made secure to stop a future attack taking down the whole website,” Minchin added.
Political Reactions and Public Backlash
Earlier, Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce, who was part of the Turnbull government, described the apparent cost blow-out as a “fiasco,” while his leader David Littleproud likened it to an episode of the satirical ABC program Utopia.
Beyond the financial concerns, the website revamp has been unpopular since its launch a month ago. The agency has been inundated with complaints about the site’s navigation difficulties and criticisms regarding changes to the radar map, which have made place names hard to read.
“We are acting on this feedback,” Minchin stated. “I totally accept the Australian public did not all get what they wanted from the initial release of the website.”
Government Oversight and Future Directions
Environment Minister Murray Watt, who oversees the Bureau of Meteorology, has held two meetings with Minchin in the past fortnight to express his concerns about the process. “What the BOM had said to me was that there were other elements of the website design that did increase the costs,” Senator Watt said. “I don’t think that I was aware of that total cost of $96 million, but I understand that people are very concerned about that amount of money and that’s why I’ve asked the new CEO to get on top of what occurred.”
Senator Watt expressed optimism for a “change in the culture and the approach of the BOM” under Minchin’s leadership. The announcement comes as the bureau faces pressure to address both the public’s dissatisfaction with the website and the scrutiny over its financial management.
As the Bureau of Meteorology navigates these challenges, the focus will likely remain on ensuring transparency and efficiency in its operations, while also addressing the technical and security needs that prompted the costly overhaul.
