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BOM Chief Defends $96.5 Million Overhaul, Says Website Is Only 10% of Wider Upgrade

The new chief says the near-$100 million covered a back‑end replacement approved in 2017 after a cyber attack.

Overview

  • Stuart Minchin, two weeks into the role, said Cabinet signed off on the program in 2017 and the funding has appeared in budget updates.
  • He said the previously quoted $4.1 million referred only to the website’s front‑end design and described the figure’s release as a miscommunication.
  • Environment Minister Murray Watt said he has met Minchin, criticised earlier public messaging, and expects the matter to be properly investigated while backing the new CEO.
  • The upgrade funded core systems including a backup supercomputer and security testing, which the bureau says were necessary after a 2015 hacking incident.
  • PerthNow reported Accenture received about $78 million to build the content management system under a 2019–2027 contract, as the bureau works on usability fixes such as a new radar shortcut due on the homepage this week.