‘This has to be a wake-up call’: NSW attorney general urged to order inquest into death of Sydney’s ‘birdman’

Alex Greenwich says inquest crucial to understand which failures led to Bikram Lama’s death and to avoid similar deaths Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The New South Wales attorney general, Michael Daley, has been urged to order an inquest into the death of Nepali rough sleeper Bikram Lama in Hyde Park. The death of Lama – who was also known as “the birdman” for his love of the area’s pigeons – has prompted widespread calls for change, after Guardian Australia revealed last week that the young migrant’s body lay unnoticed for up to a week in bushes near a busy thoroughfare into St James station. Lama’s family say he came to Australia to study but he fell out of contact with them, and records show he was deemed a non-resident by the time of his death. The City of Sydney estimates about one in five rough sleepers in the inner-city are not Australian residents. Non-residents are typically unable to access key supports needed to get out of homelessness, including social housing, social security, healthcare and work rights. The coroner is yet to determine whether an inquest into Lama’s d