Minister Orders Culture Reset at BOM After Website Blowout Soars to $96 Million

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s controversial website upgrade, initially costed at $4 million is now estimated at $96 million.

Lightning seen from Anzac Memorial Bridge in Newcastle, NSW in Australia on Jan. 15, 2025. Roni Bintang/Getty Images

Environment Minister Murray Watt has called for a “culture change” at Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology after revelations that its troubled website overhaul ballooned from an expected $4.1 million to a massive near $96 million (US$62 million).

Watt said he expected the agency’s new leadership to restore public trust and improve internal accountability.

“I’m looking forward to a bit of a change in the culture and the approach of the BOM, and I want to make very clear that it’s an institution and has staff that I very much support,” he told ABC on Nov. 24.

“They perform a really important role for the Australian public. We need a high-quality BOM delivering high-quality information, and that can manage its budgets properly. So I’m expecting the new CEO to be able to take charge of that.”

Cost Blowout Exposed

The Bureau unveiled its first major website redesign in 12 years on Oct. 22, but the launch immediately drew criticism from farmers, meteorologists, and emergency responders who found the new radar layout confusing as severe storms swept through the country.

Initially, the Bureau said the redesign cost $4.1 million. However, new BOM chief Stuart Minchin confirmed that the true cost was far higher once additional work was included.

A media report in Sydney Morning Herald revealed the $4.1 million figure did not account for a $78 million website design contract with Accenture Australia, nor further costs around security testing.

Minchin estimated the final bill “about $96 million.”

The overhaul was completed under former chief Andrew Johnson, with Minchin noting that while he respected his predecessor, “they had different styles.”

Minister Demands Answers

Watt said he had made clear from the outset that the redesign fell short of public expectations. Besides the cost blowout, users also complained of the site not being user friendly.

The backlash forced the Bureau to quickly reinstate the old radar map after widespread complaints that key place names were hard to read.

“I’m not happy about this,” he said.

“You will recall that when the issues first surfaced with the changes to the BOM website recently, I called in the acting CEO of the BOM for an explanation, and I made clear that it wasn’t meeting the public’s expectations, and we’ve now learned that the cost increase has been higher than what was originally known.”

“I’ve asked the new [chief executive] of the BoM to get on top of what happened here. If there are lessons … we need to know what they are.”

Then-acting chief Peter Stone issued a partial apology at the time, acknowledging public frustration but stopping short of saying the agency had erred, noting instead that it would “take time for some to adjust.”

Minchin, who stepped into the role few weeks ago, has pledged to rebuild confidence by being open about the agency’s decisions and mistakes.