Weather
INN Weather – JANUARY 2024
The BOM aren’t getting much right lately – Queenslanders received emergency flood warnings after storms had passed. So aside from a rebranding, what are the BOM spending their money on?
SANDY: Jane Bunion with the weather now, and Jane, you and Joe certainly got the good gig this month! How’s the vibe courtside at this year’s Australian Open?
JANE: Sandy? It’s hard to hear but the vibe is pretty good here at Court 6 – hehe, Sandy – thats a funny name!
SANDY: Oh geez… So, ahh, Jane, the Bureau of Meteorology has been receiving a bit of criticism lately…
JANE: What’s that Sands?
SANDY: The BoM. The Bureau of Meteorology. It’s coming under fire for not…
JANE: She’s saying “bomb the Bureau of Meteorology” or something Joe – You think she’s losing it?
JOE: What’s she saying?
SANDY: No, BoM IS the Bureau of Meteorology Jane – You worked there!
JOE: Who’s under fire? I didn’t hear anything?
JANE: Is the game still on?
JOE: Yeah, it’s the second set – They’ve given ‘em ear plugs I think…
SANDY: Argh! Jane! The BOM – where you work as a meteorologist. It’s being criticised for not preparing Queenslanders for the horrible flooding that’s going on. As a former employee, what’s your take on this?
JANE: Oh, the BOM! Now I know what you’re talking about… Well, first the BoM is a respected federal government-owned weather institution Sandy – they’ve been around since 1908 and don’t like being referred to as the BoM which is why they’ve requested that the media stop using the term, so we should be respectful of how they self-identify…
SANDY: Yes, but didn’t they just spend $220,000 publicly-funded dollars on this rebrand, like, just over a year ago?
JANE: Well it is standard practice now to ask how one would like to be identified, for example, Hi, I’m Jane, I use She/Her pronouns, Shall I refer to your weather forecasting Bureau as the Bureau? Or do you prefer using a different identity?
SANDY: Right – anyway you’re obviously having a good time there so let’s finish this up quick… The Bureau. They’re not getting a lot right at the moment. Queenslanders received emergency weather warnings after storms had already passed through, and long term forecasts for this summer indicated unprecedented hot and dry conditions that haven’t really transpired. So aside from the rebranding, what are the BoM spending their money on?
JANE: The Bureau Sandy… Well, they updated their supercomputers from Hewlett Packard’s Cray a couple of years ago. They’re a bit sketchy about revealing the budget for these things though
SANDY: How sketchy?
JANE: Well, they don’t release it all… and the current federal government pulled funding that was allocated to developing our own weather satellites through the Australian Space Agency
SANDY: Why do those satellites need special funding for development?
JANE: Because we don’t have any?
SANDY: Oh… Well I guess that satellite data from overseas will have to make-do for a few more decades then! Anyway, have a Pimm’s for me Jane, and enjoy your day at the party court…
JANE: Oh for sure! Joe’s taking me out for cocktails after this, aren’t you Joe?
JOE: Yeah, yeah – we’re in the middle of a tie breaker Jane!
SANDY: Ah, let’s wrap this up, ey? How come they get to go drinking while we’re here with The Hand up our backsides all day! [VO: Still rolling Sandy!] Oh… Sorry.
