Death of Sydney’s ‘birdman’ described as ‘beyond tragic’ by Albanese government

Federal and state housing ministers have described the death of a young homeless man in Sydney’s Hyde Park as “beyond tragic” and say it reinforces the need to stop vulnerable rough sleepers from falling through the cracks.

Bikram Lama, 32, was found dead on 7 December last year near the entrance to St James tunnel where he had been sleeping rough.

Lama died near a busy thoroughfare on the edge of Sydney’s CBD, but police believe his body lay without detection for up to a week.

Lama came to Australia to study from a remote village in Nepal, a move his family hoped may help lift them out of poverty, but records suggest his visa expired and he failed to renew his Nepalese passport in 2023.

His death has highlighted gaps in the services available to non-residents, who came to Australia legally but have lapsed visas in the ensuing years.

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Non-residents are further trapped in homelessness because they cannot legally work, cannot access crisis accommodation, social housing, healthcare or Centrelink, and many non-government organisations and charities are too stretched to provide outreach services.

A spokesperson for the federal housing minister, Clare O’Neil, said the death was “beyond tragic”.

“Bikram’s case is a reminder of how important it is to work closely our state government counterparts and community service providers to make sure that people don’t fall through the cracks – either with mental health support, visa support or crisis support,” the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs said it provided targeted support to bridging visa holders awaiting the outcome of a protection visa application, and helped non-citizens experiencing hardship hampering their ability to resolve their migration status.

The department also provided support to non-citizens to leave the country, the spokesperson said.

“Non-citizens who have exhausted all avenues to remain in Australia are expected to depart voluntarily.”

The New South Wales housing and homelessness minister, Rose Jackson, said she acknowledged there were gaps in providing support to non-residents, but noted that he had been identified by an outreach team and referred to the inner-city non-resident’s homelessness support group, run by St Vincent’s Homelessness Health & City of Sydney Council.