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The federal government is demanding answers from the Bureau of Meteorology regarding a significant discrepancy in the reported cost of their new website, which has proven unpopular. The actual expense has turned out to be $92 million higher than initially disclosed.
Stuart Minchin, the Bureau’s new chief, revealed yesterday that the project had cost a total of $96.5 million. Previously, the agency had only mentioned $4.1 million, which covered just the redesign of the website’s front-end.
This overall expenditure includes a substantial $78 million contract awarded to Accenture Australia.
Minchin explained in a statement that the remaining costs were necessary for a comprehensive overhaul. This included rebuilding and testing the underlying systems and technology to ensure the website’s security, stability, and ability to handle vast amounts of data from their observation networks and weather models.
Environment Minister Murray Watt, who is responsible for overseeing the Bureau of Meteorology, expressed his dissatisfaction today, stating he was “not happy” upon discovering the cost overrun.
“The initial figure that the BoM provided in the range of $4 million was for one aspect of the website development,” he told ABC.
“It’s a matter for them why they chose to provide that figure rather than a broader figure.
“But there’s no doubt that there have been increases in the cost of this website as it’s been developed, and one of the things I have asked the new CEO of the BoM to get on top of is what happened here.”
Watt has met with Minchin twice since he took on the Bureau’s top role a fortnight ago, first to raise concerns about criticisms of the new website and a second time to discuss the total cost figures.
“I’m looking forward to a bit of a change in the culture and the approach of the BoM,” he said, throwing his support behind Minchin to “get on top of this and drive some change”.
“If there are lessons around future procurements that are needed, then we need to know what they are.”
The Bureau of Meteorology’s website, which is one of the most visited sites in Australia, was last upgraded under Kevin Rudd’s first term as prime minister and found to have vulnerabilities after a cyber intrusion in 2015.
The redesigned website went live on October 22 under former chief Andrew Johnson and was met with heavy criticism over usability issues, including difficulties finding features, and complaints about the rain radar and weather map.
The federal government ordered the Bureau of Meteorology to fix the website, with some changes already made.
Minchin said a website update was scheduled to go live last week, but was postponed due to the severe Tropical Cyclone Fina off the Northern Territory coast.
The update will respond directly to community feedback received during the beta phase, with a focus on making the rain radar and weather map easier to use.
It will also include video tutorials, website help and troubleshooting to help users navigate the site.
“Given this [$96.5 million] investment, it’s vital we get it right,” he said in a statement.
“I want to assure you that our dedicated teams are working hard to continue delivering website updates and improvements as quickly as possible.”
The Bureau of Meteorology’s new website update will be rescheduled as soon as the severe weather subsides, with a date to be announced soon.