The senior Bureau of Meteorology executive responsible for overseeing the agency during its troubled $96 million website overhaul has resigned, months after the rollout sparked widespread criticism and user disruption. Dr Peter Stone, who served as the bureau’s chief customer officer and previously stepped in as acting chief executive, will formally exit the organisation early next year. He will cease active duties at the end of June before taking extended leave. Stone has been with the bureau since July 2017. His departure follows a difficult
period for the agency, which faced backlash after launching a redesigned website during severe storms across southeastern Australia. The update left many users, including farmers and fishers who rely on real-time weather data, struggling to navigate the platform. A week after the new site went live, Dr Stone issued an apology, but did not fully accept fault for the rollout, instead saying it would “take time for some to adjust” to the changes. Leadership at the bureau shifted shortly after, with Dr Stuart Minchin stepping
in as head of the organisation. The Nightly has reached out to the Bureau of Meteorology for comment. More to come.
Bureau of Meteorology, Peter Stone, resignation, website redesign, $96 million, severe storms, real-time weather data, Stuart Minchin
Finally.
This website overhaul sounds like one of those “new and improved” things that nobody asked for. I tried it during storms and it was just chaos, like where even is the radar now? Also $96 million is insane.
Wait so he apologised but didn’t accept fault? That’s wild. Maybe the storms were the real reason it didn’t work, like the weather overloaded the servers or something. But yeah blaming “adjustments” feels like corporate spin.
Of course he resigns “early next year” after everyone’s complained for months. Cease active duties end of June then take leave… so basically he gets to disappear right when people are still suffering through the site. I don’t even think farmers/fishers should have to learn a new layout while trying to check real-time data. Stuart Minchin better not pull the same mess again.