Todd

$866 million. Hidden from the Senate, and there’s more $866 million. That’s the real cost of the BOM’s tech overhaul. For years nobody could get the figure out of them. “Cabinet-in-confidence.” The only reason you heard about the $96.5 million website is because it was such a dud the new boss had to front up and admit it. The old site did the job. Farmers checked it every morning. So did truckies, fishos, your nan. Didn’t matter. Accenture’s original contract was $31 million. It got extended nine times. No new tender. It ended up at $78 million. And why were consultants running the whole show? Because Canberra put a cap on public service numbers, then had to pay consultants to do the work anyway. The cap came in under the Coalition. The blowout happened under Labor. Nobody’s hands are clean here. So the firm delivers a dud. What happens next? More work. A $17 million Defence deal. A $30 million AEC contract. And $15.7 million to build another government website. Meanwhile CSIRO is sacking hundreds of scientists because apparently there’s no money. The Minister told Senate estimates this shows we need “greater oversight of consultants.” Then his own agencies went and signed the new deals anyway. Stuff up at your job and see if you get $170 million worth of new work out of it. None of it is illegal. That’s the problem. What’s your Thoughts…? Peter Lyndon-James 🇦🇺 Sources: - BOM CEO Senate Estimates opening statement; Australia Institute via The New Daily; Canberra Times/AusTender; Senate Estimates Dec 2025; 2GB ($170m figure).