"The man's family late this afternoon provided consent for the withdrawal of his life support," Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said late on Friday. "An imam was present at the time of death and the government of Iran will be informed."

Morrison has ordered a review into the medical care the man received at the Manus Island immigration camp in PNG, with refugee advocates claiming his death was the result of neglect.

Under Canberra's hardline immigration policy, asylum-seekers arriving on unauthorised boats are denied resettlement in Australia and sent to PNG or the Pacific island of Nauru.

The minister said he would await the results of the medical review before making further comments, but added "the criticisms that have been made to date are not based on any primary knowledge of the event or the circumstances in this case".

A lawyer for Kehazaei's family, Ruth Hudson, said they were struggling to understand how the young man could die from such an infection. "They said to me without any reservation that what they want is for justice for Hamid," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"They want answers about the events leading to Hamid's transfer to Australia and how their son, why their son died as a result of such a non-threatening condition while in Australia's care. Because this just does not happen in a civilised society."

Hudson said an open and independent inquiry was needed to assess whether Kehazaei received antibiotics soon enough.