The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has revealed its new website cost $96.5 million, far exceeding the $4.1 million initially announced. The agency stated that a complete rebuild was necessary to meet modern security, usability, and accessibility requirements.
Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has asked BOM's new CEO, Stuart Minchin, to investigate how the cost blew out and report back. Watt expressed dissatisfaction with the website's performance and cost, saying he has made his expectations clear.
The website, launched on October 22, faced widespread criticism from users who found it difficult to navigate. Complaints included changes to the radar map that made place names hard to read and missing rainfall data, which particularly affected farmers.
In response, the BOM reverted the radar map to its previous version on October 31 and made other adjustments. Further changes are planned, though some have been paused due to Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina in northern Australia.
The cost breakdown includes $4.1 million for redesign, $79.8 million for the website build, and $12.6 million for launch and security testing. Nationals leader David Littleproud called for consequences, stating that the changes put lives and safety at risk.
