Exclusive: Insiders say ‘stuff-ups’ have occurred despite millions being spent on consultants, as senator warns of high stakes in ‘what could be a catastrophic fire season’

Preparation for this summer’s weather extremes from fire alerts to cyclone warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology could be affected by the bungled introduction of a new super computer despite many millions being spent on consultants, insiders say.

A bureau spokesperson said Robust’s completion date had been extended a year until June 2024 “in light of supply chain and labour market disruptions brought about by Covid-19”.

She said delays would have “no impact on the delivery of bureau services to the Australian community”, adding the June 2023 Department of Finance-led Gateway review found “program management disciplines are strong and this provides confidence that the ambitious Robust program will be delivered in full”.

The Greens senator Barbara Pocock, who has helped lead a Senate inquiry into consulting services, said delays and cost overruns were “very concerning given the high stakes as we go into what could be a catastrophic fire season”.

“Some sustainability funding has been diverted to the Robust program, which is harming other bureau projects in Australian Climate Services and high-impact weather services - for example, the Australian Fire Danger Ratings System,” the person said.