A young woman has exposed flaws in her new Australian passport, describing it as ‘flimsy’ and low quality despite it being the most expensive in the world.
Natalie Vellozzi, 28, from Sydney, posted a video on TikTok where she compared her old and new passports and accused the government of skimping on quality.
‘The quality definitely does not match the price of this passport,’ she said.
After the Sydney woman put both passports next to each other, the difference could be seen straight away, with the new one’s cover curving upwards.
‘This is my old passport I have had for 10 years. It is definitely better quality,’ Ms Vellozzi said.
‘This new one looks like it was literally printed at Officeworks. I’ve had it for one day and it is already warping, it’s already bending.’
The new R series Australian passport costs a staggering $398 after a 15 per cent price hike in July, making it the most expensive in the world.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) trumpeted the new passport upon its launch last year, boasting it was manufactured in Australia.
Natalie Vellozzi, 28, (pictured) from Sydney, compared her new passport (left) with her old one (right) after having receiving her new one a day earlier
The 28-year-old financial services worker (pictured) said the quality felt cheap in the new passport and looked like it was printed at Officeworks
‘The next-generation passport is packed with advanced security features designed to keep Australians’ identities safe,’ the department said.
But since its release, questions have been raised about the expensive document’s quality and Ms Vellozzi told Daily Mail Australia the degradation is very noticeable.
‘Maybe the material they’re using is different,’ she said.
‘But I just noticed as soon as I got it, it was already curling and bending over.
‘When they made it and bound it together, they’re not putting enough weight on it to flatten it properly.’
The financial services industry worker added the new front identification page is now made out of plastic.
‘I thought someone could snap this,’ she said.
‘In the previous passport it was laminated paper and now I just feel it will snap.’
The 28-year-old said the way the passport was delivered also left a lot to be desired.
‘It was put into a paper envelope like when you receive a letter from your bank,’ she said.
The new R series Australian passport is thinner than previous ones and bends outwards (pictured a new passport)
‘There was no cover, there was no bubble wrap or anything – it was just shoved into the paper envelope.
‘They should take a little more care because it could be delivered on a really rainy day and it’s going to get damaged.’
The traveller argued the price of the passport justified more care with delivery.
‘In 2014 I paid around $250,’ she said.
‘I was really shocked at the price increase and that it’s the most expensive passport in the world.’
Ms Vellozzi is disappointed the passport no longer comes in a plastic cover and also said the pages are thinner.
She also pointed out the ‘weird’ ribbon feature.
‘There’s a little bit of fabric inside the passport and I think someone has just forgotten to cut it off and they’ve just left it there,’ she said.
‘It’s not secured to anything – it just looks a bit weird.’
Ms Vellozzi said she understands the price hike could be due to added security features – but feels the cost is still ‘insane’.
‘These security measures should already be taken and you shouldn’t be putting that cost on to the taxpayer,’ she said.
‘Considering that our taxes are so high, I feel like the government is taking advantage of us at all angles.’
