Methodology & source verification

Background

In October 2024, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology launched a controversial website redesign at BOM.gov.au with a total cost of $96.5 million—over 20 times the original $4.5 million budget. The project sparked national debate about government IT spending and value for money.

• Project Duration: Multi-year digital transformation (2020-2024)
• Total Cost: $96,500,000 AUD
• Original Budget: $4,500,000 AUD
• Cost Blowout: 2,044% over original estimate
• Launch Date: October 2024
• Source: BOM Chief Executive Stuart Minchin's open letter, November 2025 (link)

Detailed cost breakdown

The BOM Chief Executive revealed the following breakdown of costs in response to public outcry over the project's budget blowout:

• Redesign Phase: $4,100,000
• Build Phase: $79,800,000
• Launch & Security Testing: $12,600,000
• Total: $96,500,000

Major Contractor Costs

• Accenture: $79,500,000 for IT components and channel platform infrastructure
• Deloitte: $35,000,000 (originally forecasted at $11,000,000)

Note: BOM initially reported only the $4.1 million redesign cost in October 2024. The full $96.5 million figure was not disclosed until November 2024 after public pressure and media scrutiny. The bureau stated the higher costs reflected "big IT systems contracts" for backend infrastructure, data systems, and security testing that were not included in initial public statements.

Public response

The project generated significant controversy due to:

• Dramatic cost blowout from $4.5M to $96.5M
• Widespread user complaints about usability and functionality
• Initial lack of transparency about true project costs
• Questions about value for money in government IT procurement

Media Coverage: SBS News | The Nightly | Pedestrian.TV | BOM Official Response

Observations

The redesigned BOM.gov.au website bears striking visual similarity to the BBC Weather website, raising questions about what the initially quoted $4.1 million redesign cost actually covered.

BOM.gov.au

Click to enlarge

BBC Weather

Click to enlarge

While both sites share similar design patterns common to modern weather websites (card-based layouts, prominent temperature displays, forecast widgets), the resemblance does prompt examination of the value proposition of the reported $4.1 million initial redesign cost—let alone the eventual $96.5 million total project cost.

Source requirements

Every comparison on this website meets strict verification standards:

• Official sources only: Government websites, Senate Estimates, FOI responses, or public procurement data
• Recent data: Figures from 2023-2024 with verification dates
• Australian dollars: All costs reflect current Australian market conditions
• Direct links: Working HTTPS links to source documents

Calculation method

Each comparison shows what $96.5M could purchase instead:

• Unit cost: Single item cost from official sources
• Quantity: $96,500,000 ÷ unit cost (rounded down)
• Loaded costs: Staff positions include salary + 25-30% oncosts
• Inflation: 2023 figures adjusted using ABS CPI data

Categories

Comparisons are organised into sixteen categories:

• Infrastructure — Roads, buildings, public facilities
• Emergency Services — Fire trucks, ambulances, equipment
• Staffing — Public sector salaries and positions
• Technology — Digital services and IT infrastructure
• Climate Action — Environmental programs and renewable energy
• Education — Schools, teachers, educational resources
• Health Services — Healthcare facilities and medical equipment
• Housing — Public and affordable housing initiatives
• Defence — Military equipment and defence infrastructure
• Transport — Public transport and mobility infrastructure
• Environment — Conservation and environmental protection
• Arts & Culture — Arts programs and cultural initiatives
• Sports — Sports facilities and athlete support
• Agriculture — Farming support and rural infrastructure
• Healthcare — Medical services and health infrastructure
• Absurd Comparisons — Satirical comparisons highlighting the scale of spending

What this project is not

• Not Policy Advocacy: This project does not claim that any specific alternative use would be better or more appropriate than the BOM redesign
• Not Technical Assessment: We do not assess the technical merits or outcomes of the BOM website project
• Not Official: This project is not affiliated with the Australian Government, BOM, or any political party
• Not Complete Context: The BOM project may have delivered value not captured in simple cost comparisons

Acknowledged limitations

• Comparisons are simplified and do not account for project complexity, ongoing costs, or long-term value
• Not all government spending is directly comparable (capital vs operational, one-time vs recurring)
• The BOM project may have included costs beyond just "website design" such as infrastructure, data systems, etc.
• Satirical items in the "Absurd" category are intentionally exaggerated for comedic effect, although the stats are accurate (based on collected data)

📂 Open data & API access

All data on this website is freely available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

You are free to:

• Share and redistribute the data in any format
• Adapt and build upon the data for any purpose (commercial or non-commercial)
• Use for journalism, research, advocacy, or satire

Attribution:

• Feel free to credit BoMdrop.com.au as the source, I could do with the clients
• Link back to original government sources where possible, this helps limit misinformation

Machine-readable formats:

• JSON API: /api/feed.json
• CSV Export: sources page
• Sitemap: /sitemap.xml

Why open data? Transparency and accountability require accessible information. Every comparison on this site is verifiable, traceable, and freely available for public scrutiny.

Report issues

If you find an error in our data, a broken source link, or have additional government-sourced comparisons to suggest, please:

• Verify the error against our listed source
• Prepare alternative source documentation
• Contact us with specific details (note: as a demonstration project, no contact details are provided)

We are committed to accuracy and will update sources as new government data becomes available. However, all costs represent a snapshot of pricing for services, products and goods at the time of publishing (November 2025), when the total cost to Australian taxpayers was $96.5 million AUD.