At last- 15 days after their widely publicised initial claims (through Mr Jeff Sabburg) that in 2014 Queensland had rain deficiencies not seen since the 1927-1929 drought, and that 37.3% of the State had the lowest rainfall on record- the Bureau has replied to my complaint.
After the Bureau’s initial perfunctory response on Monday 12 January, I asked for straight answers to whether the claims were correct, and would the Bureau correct them in a Media Release.
This morning, 21 January, I received this email:
Dear Ken,
Further to our correspondence we can confirm that media statements made to the ABC by a Bureau employee on 6 January 2014 did not accurately reflect the relative severity of the current Queensland rainfall deficiencies. Unfortunately the Bureau spokesperson misinterpreted some of the information. We have advised the ABC of the inaccuracy and asked them for an opportunity to update the story, if possible.
Regards,
Climate Analysis Section
So the answers to those questions were “No”, “No”, and “No, a media release would be too embarrassing and out of the question, so we’ll just advise the ABC and trust this will be buried as old news”.
I will therefore contact other media outlets (e.g. the Queensland Country Life which also ran the story), with a reminder to ABC Queensland Editor Genevieve Hussey, hoping that people across Queensland are made aware that the drought conditions (terrible as they were and still are for many) were not as bad as reported.
While this is a satisfying outcome for me, it is over two weeks since these “inaccuracies” were widely reported across Queensland in the three media that rural people mostly turn to: ABC Radio Country Hour, ABC TV 7.00 p.m. News, and the Queensland Country Life. I cannot believe that no one in the Bureau saw these reports and did anything about the falsehood, but I’m not surprised.
If you make a mistake, own up quickly, or trust will dry up faster than the rain.
Tags: ABC, Bureau of Meteorology, drought
kenskingdom 
January 21, 2015 at 12:00 pm
BOM inaccuracies are a small part of international inaccuracies in science since the UN was formed, almost 70 years ago in 1945.
I will post a one-page summary of “The Great Social Experiment of 1945-2015” that just ended.
January 21, 2015 at 12:05 pm
Here is a one-page summary of “The Great Social Experiment of 1945-2015”
Click to access Social_Experiment.pdf
January 21, 2015 at 2:50 pm
Maurice Newman picked up the drought point and mentioned it in The Australian yesterday. Looks like the BOM is happy to be misleading and inaccurate until they get caught in public.
January 21, 2015 at 3:01 pm
Stop Press: The Queensland Country Life will print a correction in next week’s edition (28 January). Editor Brad Cooper replied to my email in under 6 minutes!
January 21, 2015 at 9:42 pm
Congratulations for identifying the beginning of the end of “The Great Social Experiment of 1945-2015.”
January 21, 2015 at 6:36 pm
Well done Ken for your persistence. By rights Mr Sabburg should be severely disciplined by the BOM, and his superior should be counseled on management control and responsibility.
However, the objective was achieved, false information was spread to hype the CAGW theory, and dont hold your breath for any published retraction or errata.
The more important point is that without pursuing these sorts of “mistakes” and “inaccuracies” (or deliberate disinformation more likely) none of these false scientists will ever be brought to account. And that includes FOI applications if necessary to get temperature site and temperature series adjustments out of BOM.
January 23, 2015 at 10:08 am
Ken it’s not that what your saying is falling on deaf ears.
It’s just not getting in enough ears.
The BOM won’t correct their mistake simply because there is no one there to to tell them to.
If the government had a pair they’d carpet both and tell them to publicly correct it.
Like, you know when you both publicly issued the miss information.
It’s far easier like the rest of the warmists to give the likes of you and so many others the two fingered salute.
But the tide is turning.
I kept this link from October 1st last year simply because I knew it would come back to bite them.
More over the top utter claptrap.
Around Albury there is a big chance we are about to break our all time January rainfall record which is 87.6mm.
We are currently sitting at 80.0 mm (double Januarys average) with more predicted over the weekend.
I wonder who’s crystal ball “feeds” the information to sky news expert climate alarmist?
Keep up the good work Ken.
http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/summer-201415-weather-forecast-bushfires-heatwaves-and-severe-heat/story-e6frflp0-1227076059759
January 27, 2015 at 6:29 am
Terrific Ken and thank you for the work. I’m still waiting for an answer from BOM….
As for Leigh comment about Sky News: as far as alarmist talk is concerned they have on staff the worst possible meteorologist in the world, even their ABC doesn’t go as far as Sky News. They consistently hype any event, their forecast for rain is always usually double what BOM and the ABC forecast which are, overall, quite accurate.
January 27, 2015 at 6:32 am
Thanks to cooperation and unselfish input from many, “the greatest secret of the universe” is being revealed as the “greatest fraudster on Earth” is exposed:
https://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2015/01/26/smoking-gun-of-incompetence-at-the-ipcc/
Misinformation-by-design to fit UN Agenda 21 explains systematic, worldwide distortions in experimental measurements and observations.
February 3, 2015 at 3:47 am
Robitaille P.-M., Crothers S. J.
“The Theory of Heat Radiation” Revisited: A Commentary on the Validity of Kirchhoff’s Law of Thermal Emission and Max Planck’s Claim of Universality,
Click to access PP-41-04.PDF