WELLINGTON - New Zealand backpackers whose passports were destroyed in the Childers hostel fire in Australia last week will have them replaced free.
Seven New Zealanders survived the blaze at the Palace Backpackers' Hostel at Childers, north of Brisbane, early last Friday. They were among 62 survivors of the fire, in which 15 people died.
Reports in Sydney said the New Zealand survivors would have to pay $A125 ($161) for replacement passports, while other nations would waive fees for any of their citizens who lost documentation in the fire.
But Internal Affairs Minister Mark Burton said that was not the case.
"I became aware of concerns from at least one New Zealand survivor of the Childers fire, that he may have to pay to replace a passport lost in the fire," Mr Burton said.
"I issued an immediate instruction to the Department of Internal Affairs that the standard policy is to be waived, and the passports are to be replaced free of charge.
"The instruction was passed on to the consulate."
The Governments of Australia, Ireland, Britain, Spain, Japan, Canada, the Netherlands, Italy and Iran had also agreed to waive the cost of replacing lost travel documents.
Mr Burton said the New Zealand consulate in Sydney had not yet received any applications for replacement passports.
- NZPA
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