Bureau of Meterology apologises for bungled website rollout

The national weather agency has been flooded with complaints after launching its new website last week.

The Bureau of Meteorology has apologised for its website revamp amid a flood of complaints.

Changes which rolled out last week sparked public uproar, with many criticising the website for being less user friendly.

Users claimed key functions to narrow down results had been removed and some sections of the site simply did not function, while its radar feature was considered particularly problematic.

BOM’s acting chief executive Dr Peter Stone on Wednesday acknowledged “the concerns raised by the community and recognise the significance of the change” – the first to take place in more than a decade.

Acting Bureau of Meteorology chief executive Dr Peter Stone. Picture: Screengrab

“We didn’t make the change lightly and we appreciate that it will take time for some to adjust,” he said.

“I sincerely apologise for the challenges the change has caused.

“It’s clear we need to do more to help people through the change, both by making adjustments to the website and by helping users to understand its new features.”

Amid concerns the changes could endanger those in areas known for extreme and sudden weather changes, Dr Stone said the “safety of Australians is our primary concern”.

“We want to reiterate that observations, forecasts, warnings and severe weather updates continue to be readily available on our website, the app and our social media channels,” he said.

“The new site has been specifically designed to enhance access to public safety information.

“The Bureau’s forecasts and warnings are now more prominent, easily accessible and relevant to your location.”

‘Joke’: Nationals calls for probe

The apology came after Nationals leader David Littleproud demanded a probe.

Calling the situation “a joke”, Mr Littleproud on warned it was especially dangerous for regional Australians as parts of the country enter their wet seasons.

Nationals leader David Littleproud says the Bureau of Meteorology’s new website is ‘a joke’. NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“The bureau has been littered with errors and mistakes for some years now,” he told Sky News.

“In fact, their business model is to mess up and ask for more money, and that’s effectively all they’ve done.

“Whether it was last year when they predicted we’re going to have a drought, a whole lot of farmers offloaded all their livestock and crashed the market, and then we had one of the best seasons we’ve ever had, down to just simply managing a website.

“The Bureau of Meteorology is losing the currency that it has in regional Australia and right across the country.”

Speaking to radar complaints specifically, Mr Littleproud said he thought “it would have been tested” at the very least but ideally improved.

“I mean, I don’t think it’s rocket science, but unfortunately the bureau just can’t seem to get their act in order, whether it be a simple website right through to some of the predictions they’re making,” Mr Littleproud said.

In a statement earlier, he said he wrote to Environment Minister Murray Watt to order a review of the bureau’s website and “consider restoring key tools relied upon by farmers and rural communities”.

Meanwhile, Liberal MP Rick Wilson slammed the bureau as “climate change obsessed” and the site as “net zero in weather forecasting benefits”.

Mr Wilson, whose vast electorate of O’Connor captures numerous rural communities in Western Australia, had one “particularly incensed farmer” who “made a special trip” to his electorate office in Albany to complain in person.

“He queried whether any agriculture user groups had been consulted about the changes, and whether there were any benefits whatsoever with the new format,” Mr Wilson said.

“The $4.1m cost of this new website is outrageous if it has not actually improved the functionality or reliability for users.

“People want to check the radar and immediately see relevant information, not click through layers of content, or try to interpret what the colours mean.”

The Bureau of Meteorology's new website. Picture: Screengrab

Senator Watt on Tuesday met with the bureau’s acting chief executive to discuss the issues.

He said he “made clear my expectations that the BOM needed to consider this feedback and, where appropriate, adjust the website’s settings as soon as possible”.

“The acting CEO confirmed that the BOM is considering this feedback and what adjustments can be made while preserving the website’s reliability,” Senator Watt said in a statement.

“The BOM website is a critical tool to ensure public safety, particularly during the high-risk weather season and it must deliver the quality information our hardworking BOM staff are known for.”

Senator Watt also asked the weather agency to brief state and territory emergency ministers “on the new website and the steps BOM is taking to improve it”.

“Australians deserve to have confidence in these important services,” Senator Watt said.

“My office and I will continue to engage closely with the BOM and ensure public safety is its foremost priority.”

Originally published as Bureau of Meterology apologises for bungled website rollout