BOMB boss sorry for botched rebrand

THE chief of the Bureau of Meteorology has apologised for the organisation‘s botched attempt to rebrand amid a flood crisis.

BOM chief executive Andrew Johnson told estimates at the Senate, Environment and Communications Legislation Committee the move was an attempt to be more consistent with how the public sees the bureau.

“I sincerely apologise if this commentary has caused confusion in the community; this was not our intention,” he said.

“Like any large organisation, there are times we don’t get it right.

“Recent media commentary is an example of this,” he said, before adding the move does not reflect the work the BOM does.

According to the organisation‘s research, 81 per cent of people were familiar with the organisation’s full name, 60 per cent were familiar with “BOM” and just 15 per cent knew ”the Bureau”.

Dr Johnson said the bureau had “been on a journey over the past five years” and regularly undertakes research on community expectations and perceptions of the BOM.

“Our name and what we’re referred to varies a lot, with at least four different names used across the country,” he said.

“That inconsistency can be confusing for some members of the community, particularly older Australians, immigrants and linguistically diverse Australians.”

The move was an attempt to “provide clear and consistent messaging to the community,” according to Dr Johnson.

“All we‘ve done is ask media outlets to refer to us as the Bureau of Meteorology and the ‘Bureau’ from then on.

“We have not changed the name of the Bureau of Meteorology; we have simply asked media outlets to consistently call us that.” The research into the Bureau has been undertaken over the past two years.