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Dying Man Denied Passport by Consulate
15 Feb
Summary
- Consulate cited privacy for not discussing case.
- Emergency passport was needed for hospital transfer.
- Man died before transfer could occur.
An Australian man, Wayne Harvey, died in a Balinese hospital on January 7, 2023, after consular officials failed to issue an emergency passport for his transfer. Harvey was hospitalized on Christmas Eve 2022 with appendicitis complications. His son, Jake, in Australia, was informed of the need to transfer his father due to inadequate hospital care. Jake requested an emergency passport, but consular officials cited privacy concerns under the Privacy Act, refusing to discuss the situation without the patient's consent.
Despite Jake's urgent pleas and provision of medical updates, the consulate did not issue the passport. On January 3, 2023, they emailed Jake a summary of his father's condition, stating it was stable, which contradicted information Jake received from hospital doctors. The necessary passport remained unissued, and Wayne Harvey died in the Puri Raharja hospital.
Over two years later, in late 2025, the Department of Foreign Affairs apologized to Jake for communication failures during the critical period, acknowledging the process and timeframes were not clearly explained. They stated an internal investigation found the case was managed according to procedures but identified areas for communication improvement. The department maintained that the issues were not related to the medical outcome.
