Insufficient planning for the post-COVID rush of passport applications left Australians facing significant delays in getting their travel documents, according to a new report from the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO).
The ANAO has tipped a bucket on the Australian Passport Office, part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), arguing it failed to meet its processing time targets for three out of the last five years.
Its audit was tabled in parliament on Wednesday, and the ANAO noted demand for new passports plummeted during the 18-month period Australia's international borders were closed as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with 2.2 million fewer passports issued.
Auditors argued there was a lack of appropriate planning for the deluge of applications lodged once borders reopened – an increase of 22 per cent per quarter, compared to the pre-pandemic period – even with the department's modelling pointing to millions of would-be travellers requesting passports.
"The passports demand modelling predicted as early as December 2020 that the low number of passports lodged in 2020 would result in a 'pent-up demand surge' in 2022, providing the department with time to prepare for a sustained increased demand for passport services," the report said.
"Additional staff to process applications once the international border reopened were not engaged and trained in time to avoid a significant processing backlog developing."
DFAT has a target to process 95 per cent of routine passport applications within 10 business days.
In the 2018-19 financial year, only 86 per cent of passport applications met that deadline. That increased to between 96 and 98 per cent in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 financial years.
But processing times blew out after that, with just 54 per cent of passports processed within 10 business days in 2021-22 and 61 per cent the following financial year.
"DFAT has not been efficiently delivering passport services," the ANAO said.
"While the department has time frame targets for processing applications those targets are not customer-focused and are not being consistently met.
"There are no resource efficiency targets; the average cost to produce a passport has increased more than the increase in the price of labour; and staff efficiency, which was improving up until the COVID-19 pandemic, has deteriorated since the international border was reopened."
Australian passports slower, more expensive
The ANAO also compared Australia's passport processing with several other countries, finding it sits alongside Canada and the United States in lacking digital applications.
It cited Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom's capabilities, in pointing to outdated technology as a factor in delays.
Australian passports also cost significantly more than other countries, with a 10-year document costing $346 – compared to $159 for a UK passport and $199 for a US passport.
DFAT agreed to the ANAO's recommendations, which called for an overhaul of the application process.
The department's acting secretary Craig Maclachlan told the ANAO it was dealing with "legacy technologies" and a "lack of digital capabilities".
"The department has acknowledged that its preparations for the unprecedented post-COVID demand surge were not sufficient to maintain continuity of service," Mr Maclachlan wrote.
"We regret any and all impact and inconvenience caused to the community and individuals during this time."
Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts took aim at the former Coalition government, accusing it of mishandling the Australian Passport Office.
"The former Coalition government was warned as early as December 2020 to prepare for a 'pent-up demand surge', and had ample time to prepare, directly causing the backlog and delays experienced by Australians," he said in a statement.
"As a result of their failure to plan, Australians were waiting 50 days on average to receive a passport when the backlog was at its peak."