‘This has to be a wake-up call’: NSW attorney general urged to order inquest into death of Sydney’s ‘birdman’ | Sydney
New South Wales attorney general Michael Daley has been called for an investigation into the death of Nepalese rough sleeper Bikram Lama in Hyde Park.
The death of Lama, also known as “the birder” for his love of the local pigeons, sparked widespread calls for change after Guardian Australia revealed last week that the young migrant’s body lay undetected in bushes near a busy street leading to St James station for up to a week.
Lama’s family say he came to Australia to study but lost contact with them, and records show he was considered a non-resident of Australia when he died. The City of Sydney estimates that around one in five people sleeping in the city center are not Australian citizens.
Non-residents often lack access to the basic supports needed to escape homelessness, including social housing, social security, healthcare and employment rights.
The coroner has not yet decided whether there will be an inquest into Lama’s death but has attempted to contact Lama’s family in Nepal.
Sydney independent MP Alex Greenwich wrote to Daley on Friday asking him to use his powers to launch an inquiry examining potential policy failures surrounding the death.
“Like many other people, I was shocked and saddened by this incident,” he said. “This is heartbreaking, but it should be a wake-up call for policymakers, and the question we need to ask ourselves is: ‘Did Bikram Lama die because of failures in state and federal policies?’
Daley’s office said the coroner is still awaiting a brief of evidence from police and will then decide whether to hold an inquest.
The spokesman said, “The Chief Public Prosecutor received correspondence regarding this issue.” “The coroner is awaiting a brief of evidence from NSW Police. Once that evidence has been received, the court will hear the matter and decide whether the inquest should continue in accordance with ordinary processes.”
In 2024, Guardian Australia investigated more than 600 homeless deaths and found a huge life expectancy gap with the general population, often resulting from systemic failures to provide housing, healthcare and mental health support.
Recent forensic inquests have sought to specifically investigate the link between lack of housing, gaps in homelessness support and deaths of rough sleepers.
Last month, Victorian coroner Simon McGregor examined the death of 52-year-old Sacha Lefebvre, who fell asleep outside the Hawthorn library in Melbourne in December 2025.
Lefebvre had a history of mental health issues, physical health issues, and substance use issues. His death prompted the coroner to call for more support for homeless people and for housing to be treated as a human right.
Greenwich said it was crucial that an investigation be held to gain a similar understanding of the circumstances surrounding Bikram’s death.
“There are so many questions to be answered here,” he said. “If this is happening to Bikram, it will happen again unless we get to the bottom of this and understand what policy failures led to this.”
