The Bureau of Meteorology is one of the few organisations that touches the lives of all Australians and all Australia, every day. Since 1908 we have proudly provided products and services that have significantly enhanced public safety, economic prosperity, national security, community wellbeing and environmental health.
The knowledge of, and insights into Australia we have gained over this period, including the nation's long-term climate record, are unique and irreplaceable. In a world where trust in institutions is under threat and longstanding societal norms are being challenged, the Bureau remains one of the nation's and indeed the world's most trusted and authoritative sources of weather, water, climate, oceans and space weather information.
Many of the Bureau’s activities, including its weather observations, warnings and forecasts, are mandated by national legislation and help meet Australia’s international commitments. Public investment in the Bureau provides a strong sovereign capability that is vital for community confidence in the delivery of essential weather, water, climate, ocean, and space weather services, and for supporting industry competitiveness and innovation. The Bureau plays a critical role in a number of key sectors including emergency management, aviation, land and maritime transport, national security, space, energy, resources, international development, agriculture and water.
The Bureau’s operating environment continues to be intensely dynamic. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global supply chains, labour markets and patterns of work, and compounded strategic uncertainty in our region. Australia continues to face challenges posed by geopolitical tensions and strains in longstanding systems of international cooperation.
Escalating security and cybersecurity threats require constant vigilance, while the proliferation of weather-related information available in the community, including misinformation, has the potential to dilute the Bureau's expert, authoritative and trusted voice.
As Australia faces new opportunities and challenges, the Bureau's unique capabilities position it to contribute to natural disaster resilience, economic prosperity, environmental sustainability and regional security. This includes applying our full knowledge and expertise to help the nation understand and respond to a changing climate that is affecting different parts of Australia in different ways. As our climate continues to change, we are seeing more frequent and intense weather extremes than at any other time in modern history. The impacts of these climate events can compound in severity when they occur consecutively or when multiple types of extreme events coincide. This raises questions about how and where we live, and the role of governments in mitigating against and adapting to damaging events.
To help Australians live as safely and productively as possible, there is a compelling need for products and services from the Bureau that are relevant, timely and fit for purpose. We must effectively communicate the impacts of natural hazards to support preparedness, response and recovery, and be clearer about the risks and uncertainties associated with our forecast and warning products. We will also do even more to provide Australians with climate risk information to support planning, investment and decision-making.
Over the life of this Strategy, we will seek to amplify and accelerate the value we provide to Australian communities, industries and governments. We will focus on products and services that are even more personalised, contextualised, localised, and convenient. We will also provide greater service flexibility, assisting Australians in accessing our data and information assets for their own specific needs while working side by side with customers and partners to provide the knowledge, insights and wisdom required for enhanced decision-making. We will also work across government to respond to national and international risks and opportunities and to support Australia's position and contribution to the global community, especially in the Indo-Pacific.
To achieve these objectives, we must constantly evolve our business while ensuring the safety, security, resilience, and relevance of our core operations. We will continue to standardise, simplify and digitise the Bureau's core processes to transform our operations. Using our vast data stores, we will apply more advanced and integrated technologies that automate routine functions, and focus our world-class expertise where it matters most.
We will invest in initiatives that transform the impact and value we provide to the nation, applying our science, technology, research and data capabilities, in partnership or with externally sourced capability where appropriate. We will continue to adopt new ways of working, collaborating nationally and internationally to achieve common goals and place greater focus on workforce agility to move quickly and seamlessly between priorities for maximum effectiveness.
Underpinning all of our efforts are our people, whose expertise, experience and dedication are fundamental to delivering the high-quality products and services on which Australians depend. To continue to attract and retain the right people, we will ensure the Bureau remains an employer of choice, recognising the needs of each staff member and equipping them with the tools, skills and opportunities to grow and excel. We will continue to build a culture of customer service and collaboration, where we work as one enterprise for the benefit of our nation. We will retain a strong commitment to the respect of First Nations people and Culture, both in the services we deliver and in our operations that span every part of the Australian continent, islands and overseas territories, including Antarctica.
This document charts a course for the Bureau over the next five years that continues our journey to drive a positive step change in the contribution we make to national wellbeing.
