Perhaps we had warning signs of Bureau of Meteorology’s (BoM) dysfunction from its attempt to rebrand itself as ‘The Bureau’ in the middle of a flood crisis.
Timing aside, the name change was criticised as unnecessary, confusing, and poorly executed, raising questions about the agency’s priorities and decision-making processes.
Then came the El Niño event in September 2023 which led to farmers across the nation making the tough decision to destock, bracing for expected dry conditions. And then it rained – and rained some more.
Prices rebounded, leaving those who sold early at a loss. While some farmers acknowledged that forecasts aren’t guarantees, the criticisms were everywhere.
Now we have the release of an Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) report which has revealed deeper issues of asset maintenance mismanagement, further eroding trust in the BoM’s reliability.
The BoM is responsible for weather, water, climate and ocean services across Australia with an annual budget of $440 million from Government, plus $100 million from external sources. In 2021-22 it was given a further $225.6 million over three years for an asset maintenance overhaul, transitioning to $143 million yearly over a decade to continue a proactive maintenance program.
The ANAO report reveals BoM has failed to track or report how this money is being spent. The asset management plan, approved in 2020, has never been reviewed, and the Enterprise Asset Management System (EAMS), meant to oversee critical forecasting equipment remains unreliable. By May 2024, BoM advised the ANAO it still cannot accurately assess the performance of its own assets.
Most concerning is the ANAO’s finding that many weather monitoring instruments are failing or past their useful life. The risk of radar outages, crucial tools for tracking approaching storms and floods, remains “extreme.” Yet the Bureau’s inventory management plan for replacement parts, drafted in 2022, has sat untouched for two years.
Cost overruns plague key projects, such as the ROBUST computer data and security program. Despite repeated questioning in Senate estimates hearings, the program’s final cost has ballooned to $866 million, almost $100 million over budget, with work still incomplete.
The BoM’s water data reporting remains problematic. Since 2007, BoM has received $450 million to develop a national water data hub, yet its reporting remains unreliable, outdated and unused by stakeholders.
While these issues persist, the Labor government still allocated another $236 million for a ten-year flood infrastructure purchase and upgrade program.
We know improvements need to be made in the flood gauging and warning system. In Lismore residents received assurances of a two-day window before peak flood levels, only to face emergency evacuations hours later as waters rose to record levels. Similar scenarios unfolded in Victoria, in Rochester, Seymour and Echuca.
But given the ANAO report, can we be confident in the BoM to manage such crucial infrastructure when they are not effectively maintaining the infrastructure they’ve got?
Published 13 FEB, 2025 in The Land, Sydney