Bureau of Meteorology executive Peter Stone resigns amid $96.5M website revamp backlash
Consensus Summary
Peter Stone, the Bureau of Meteorology’s chief customer officer and former acting CEO, is set to leave his role by the end of June 2026 amid widespread criticism of a $96.5 million website revamp. The redesign, launched in October 2025 during severe storms, faced backlash for poor usability, including changes to the rain radar map that made place names unreadable. Farmers and fishermen struggled to access key information during the rollout, prompting public outrage. The project’s true cost ballooned from an initial $4.1 million to $96.5 million, largely due to a $78 million contract with Accenture, which expanded through nine extensions. Peter Stone briefly acted as CEO during the rollout and later issued a partial apology, though he did not fully concede error. Stuart Minchin succeeded him as CEO in November 2025. Both sources confirm Stone’s departure follows the website’s failure, though ABC notes he cited retirement, while NEWSCOMAU does not specify the reason.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Peter Stone, Bureau of Meteorology's chief customer officer and former acting CEO, is set to leave his role by the end of June 2026.
- The Bureau of Meteorology's website revamp cost approximately $96.5 million, significantly higher than the initially reported $4.1 million.
- The website redesign was widely criticized for poor design, including changes to the rain radar map that made place names hard to read.
- Peter Stone acted as the Bureau of Meteorology's CEO during the website rollout, which occurred in October 2025.
- Stuart Minchin assumed the role of chief executive of the Bureau of Meteorology in November 2025, following Peter Stone's acting tenure.
- The website revamp was launched during severe storms across Australia’s southeast, causing difficulties for users like farmers and fishermen.
- Peter Stone joined the Bureau of Meteorology in 2017 after a career in industry and government.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The $96.5 million cost includes $78 million from a contract with Accenture, which started as a $31 million contract and grew across nine extensions.
- Nichole Brinsmead, the BOM's chief information and technology officer, defended the contract extensions in a 2025 Senate estimates hearing, stating the full complexity of the program was not understood initially.
- Peter Stone offered an apology of sorts, saying, 'We will continue to assess options for further updates and improvements at the same time as pushing on with our efforts to help the community become more familiar with the website.'
- The previous color scheme on the rain radar and weather map was restored following public outrage.
- Peter Stone has been with the Bureau for almost a decade, with previous roles at CSIRO listed on his LinkedIn profile.
- Peter Stone is expected to depart early next year after finishing active duties at the end of June and taking extended leave, as reported by Crikey.
- Dr. Stone received total annual remuneration of $395,585 under the position title of group executive.
- BOM leaders are scheduled to appear before Senate budget estimates for questioning next Monday.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states Peter Stone 'made the decision to retire,' while NEWSCOMAU does not explicitly mention retirement as the reason for his departure.
Source Articles
Top BOM exec who oversaw bungled website revamp set to leave role
Peter Stone was acting CEO when the BOM launched its new website, which was widely criticised for its costs and poor design.
Weather bureau exec quits after website fail
A senior Bureau of Meteorology leader is leaving after the agency’s troubled website overhaul sparked national backlash.