The number of passport applications has increased from pre-pandemic levels of up to 9000 a day, to up to 12000 a day, with the number daily applications reached a record 16,400 on Tuesday. auspol
Applicants queued up for at least three hours in Melbourne on Monday to check on the status of their passports.Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Tim Watts said Australians were now enduring a “predictable” problem that was “the result of the previous government dropping the ball and failing to properly plan for the surge in passport applications when borders re-opened.”
“The current delays in passport applications, and the long waits to get in touch with the Australian Passport Office, are unacceptable.”DFAT says processing times have doubled since October and now advises applicants to allow at least six weeks to get their passport. But some hopefuland still have no idea when their documents will arrive.
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