What advice, if any, was provided to Ministers regarding options to continue, pause, or terminate the BCU project?

Answer

The below covers specific advice that I received as Minister of Immigration. Questions regarding advice to other Ministers should be directed to those Ministers. On 19 March 2024, I received a written briefing from MBIE titled Biometric Capability Update project – proposed approach to increasing Whole of Life Cost. The annex to the briefing set out the status of the project, costs of the project and the implications of ceasing the project. I requested further advice and that MBIE commission further external assurance after it became apparent that the initial advice I had received about the status of the project was misleading. The MBIE CE subsequently decided to continue with the project. On 23 October 2025, I was verbally briefed by the Acting Chief Executive on the status of the BCU project following MBIE's assessment that the product as delivered could not go live. This verbal briefing included advice that MBIE was pausing the project and considering termination. On 9 December 2025, the Minister for Economic Growth and I received a written briefing from MBIE titled Biometric Capability Update (BCU) Project, Project Update and Go-forward Options. This briefing advised that the BCU project had been discontinued, that the costs of the project would be impaired, and alternative identity management solution options would be explored.