The death of Bikram Lama, a man who died while sleeping rough in Sydney's Hyde Park, has ignited a wave of calls for systemic change. Lama's body was discovered in bushes near the entrance to St James station tunnel, a bustling thoroughfare on the edge of Sydney's central business district, up to a week after his passing in December last year.
Lama came to Australia as a student, according to his family, but was classified as a non-resident by Australian authorities. Support workers argue that this designation effectively trapped him in homelessness, leaving him without access to housing, healthcare, or income support.
Councils Unite in Condemnation
An alliance of 48 councils across Australia, known as Back Your Neighbour and chaired by Sophie Tan, mayor of Greater Dandenong in Victoria, issued a powerful statement on Friday. They described Lama's death as evidence of 'the human cost of policy-driven exclusion.'
'When people are forced to live in prolonged immigration limbo, without a clear pathway to permanency, they are effectively excluded from housing, healthcare, income support and crisis services, regardless of how long they have lived in or contributed to their communities,' Tan said. The alliance extended condolences to Lama's family and called on the federal government to expand access to essential services for those in need.
City of Sydney Council to Honor Lama
On Tuesday night, the City of Sydney council will be asked to observe a minute's silence in memory of Lama. Councillor Adam Worling, who is moving the motion, expressed disbelief that such a death could occur. 'I just keep thinking about his mother, and I just keep thinking about my mother. And I just think, no mother should have to go through that,' he said. 'This just should not happen. State and federal governments, it just comes down to – is our taxpaying money being distributed correctly if we allow this to happen? The answer is no.'
The council will also consider requesting funding from federal and state housing ministers to support specialist homelessness services for people without residency status.
Outpouring of Compassion and Calls for Change
The story of Lama's death has prompted widespread public discussion on homelessness and an outpouring of compassion. Erin Longbottom, nursing unit manager of St Vincent's homeless health service, whose team had been trying to help Lama, described the response as heartening. 'The compassion and thoughtfulness and care that people have shown in response has been absolutely amazing,' she said.
Longbottom emphasized that political pressure is needed to address systemic gaps. 'All this energy, if we can channel it to put pressure on the government to do something about this,' she urged. 'Write to your MP, ask for change, ask for policy to be different for this cohort of people.'
Advocates Demand Policy Reforms
Kate Colvin, chief executive of Homelessness Australia, called for extending work rights and a basic safety net to those left without support. 'There needs to be an extension of payments like the special benefit to provide a safety net for people left without other support, so they can still have accommodation and food, and not end up sleeping rough like Bikram,' Colvin said. She also highlighted the need for targeted funding for homelessness services to provide specialist legal support and accommodation.
Dr Cassandra Goldie, chief executive of the Australian Council of Social Service, described Lama's situation as deeply systemic, resulting from 'decades of policies preventing the provision of basic social supports and rights to people in his circumstances.' She added, 'It is also another consequence of Australia not having basic human rights protections in place, and terribly sad.'
