Some years ago I went travelling to Central America. Two days before flying, I put a last load of clothes in the washer, stuff I needed for the trip. Then I headed off to work. Mid-morning I suddenly realised, completely out of the blue, that my passport was in the pocket of one of the pairs of trousers in the wash...
I told my boss I had an emergency and legged it home. The passport was all blurry and not stuck together very well, it looked like a very bad forgery. We were due to fly via the states, and this was just after 9/11 so they were very hot on security at the time.
I rang the passport office in Victoria and asked about getting a replacement. They said it would take four weeks to get a replacement. There was a 24-hour option, at a cost, but that was only an option if some of my personal details on the passport had changed. Which they hadn't.
Except, I'd got my old passport when I was about 14, and it was probably the first thing I'd ever had to sign, so I hadn't really settled on a signature at that time. By the time I was 22 or so my signature was slightly different, and instantly became even more different... luckily that was enough to justify using the 24-hour service!
Still seems bizarre to me that you could get a passport in 24 hours if there was incorrect information, but it would take four weeks if it was damaged (i.e. just a straight replacement, not having to verify new information).