Im travelling to Sri Lanka from Melbourne in November on a Sri Lankan Passport.

Im travelling to Sri Lanka from Melbourne in November on a Sri Lankan Passport. The issue I have is my passport expires in Jan 2015 and does not meet the 6 month validity requirement most airlines have. Getting my passport extended while I'm here is quite a hassle as we only have an embassy in Canberra and they are quite unreliable.My idea is to get it renewed while I'm there. I'm wondering whether it would be an issue for me even though I would be flying to the home country of the passport.

Ring the embassy and check with them or ring the airline.good luck

Airlines don't set the passport validity requirements -- destination/transit countries do.

As long as the transit countries allow a passport with less than 6-months validity you should be fine. Your airline has access to this information, but you can also view the TimaticWeb database for passport requirements on the StarAlliance website (among others).

The other issue you might encounter is flying back to Australia (if you're on a return ticket), as you won't have the same passport number (once you renew it in Sri Lanka) and you may need to obtain a new Australian visa for your new passport (though I'm not familiar with the details of this).

You'll be fine flying home with your passport as long as you're not planning to stop along the way.

Back in Sri Lanka, once you get the passport renewed go to the Australian high commission to get a new sticker but only if you get a new passport.

Before sending the passport for renewel ensure you keep copies of your Australian visa/passport front page just to be safe.

Entering Sri Lanka won't be a problem. 

Returning to Australia, if you are a Permanent Resident - the 6 Month Validity should not be an issue given you are allowed to reside in Australia indefinitely. 

If the latter doesn't apply, obtain a new passport in Sri Lanka. Your old passport will be returned to you after the cover is cut off (most countries cut off the MRZ on the personal information page) and any still valid visas in that passpord would remain valid.

Thanks for the advice, My transit is through KL but I wont be leaving he airport since its only a couple of hours.