Passport applications felt to be left to the luck of the draw
With no one to call, Australians are left to line up for hours for answers. Photo: Madi McKinley
Passport renewal delays have left many Australians feeling as though they have to rely on luck as the Australian Passport Office struggles to keep up with demand. A backlog of renewal applications and limited contact points have caused inconsistencies for those waiting in line for a passport, with some waiting over 6 weeks and others merely days. The system has been described as “extremely unorganised,” with some feeling as though their travel plans are left up to the luck of the draw.
Olive Thomas, 18, and her immediate family, have been waiting for their passports to be renewed so they can travel to see unwell relatives in the United Kingdom.
“We are relying on getting our passport urgently so we can go and see our sick family who we haven’t seen in 3 years,” Thomas says.
“One relative who is 96 years old has dementia and the other is about to pass away. We are supposed to fly out in two weeks to go and see them.”
Thomas and her family applied 6 weeks ago for renewal; the official recommendation given by the Australian Passport Office. Despite this, they are yet to hear about its progress.
However, passport applicant Christine, who asked for her surname not to be mentioned, has had to only wait four days to receive her passport.
“It’s been a pretty quick process for me,’ she says.
“I only just renewed it on Friday and made sure I applied for an urgent passport. I then received an email on Monday to say it’s ready for collection.”
According to the Australian Passport Office, priority processing is available for eligible Australians, but has a $225 fee. The fee is additional to the cost of the passport itself, which is $308 for a 10-year validity passport for persons over 16.
Thomas and her family hope that they are successful in receiving their passports as soon as possible, as they are left to stand in a line waiting for hours on end.
“Mum couldn’t come because she had to work, so we had to drive down. We live three hours away. My sister has even missed a day of school to come,” Thomas says.
Thomas was still towards the back of the line even after waiting for over an hour. Photo: Madi McKinley
The demand for passports has come with the loosening of Covid-19 restrictions globally. According to provisional data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), there were 1.2 million international border crossings to and from Australia in April 2022. This is a significant increase from the 710,000 crossings in its previous month of March.
Although Christine was impressed with the efficiency in having her passport renewed, she believes that more could have been done to have ensured everyone is able to receive their passports on time.
“Renewing my passport was the last thing I was thinking about during these crazy past few years, and it’s only been after the pandemic when I need to travel that I realised it had expired,” she says.
“I think a couple of phone calls, emails or something to notify people would make the process much easier because it is a difficult process to renew it. So many people have had to travel far to come and stand in this line. I have even had to take time off work to come here today.”
