image source,PA Media
The Australian government has revoked world tennis star Novak Djokovic’s visa again, as debate continues over his right to stay in Australia to play tennis without a Covid-19 vaccine.
Australia’s reason for revoking his visa this time was “for the maintenance of health and good order”. That means he could be deported and banned from visas for three years.
However, it is still possible that the Serbian Djokovic will continue to legally challenge the Australian government’s visa decision to remain in Australia to participate in the competition.
Djokovic, 34, the world‘s top men’s tennis player, was due to play at the Australian Open starting next Monday.
Second visa revocation
In a statement, Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said: “Today I exercised my rights as Minister of Immigration . Mr. Veitch’s visa.”
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the decision had been “well thought out”.
Morrison did not address the harsh criticism the Australian government has received for allowing unvaccinated players into Australia, but said: “Australians have made a lot of sacrifices in this epidemic and they have every reason to expect these The results of sacrifice are protected.”
Djokovic will meet immigration officials in Melbourne on Saturday morning and will be allowed to stay at his current residence on Friday night. There had been speculation in some Australian media that he might be transferred to an immigration detention hotel.
Djokovic is a nine-time Australian Open champion and hopes to defend his title next week. If he wins, he will set a record of 21 Grand Slam titles, making him the most successful athlete in men’s tennis in history.
The first wave of visa revocations
Djokovic’s visa was first revoked shortly after he arrived in Melbourne on January 6 after Australian border officials said he “failed to provide proper evidence” to get a vaccination waiver.
When he initially announced that he was coming to the Open, some Australians resented, as it was unclear whether he could meet Australia’s strict quarantine rules for entry. In order to control the new crown epidemic, Australians have been living under strict epidemic prevention measures. Melbourne is even more affected by the decision to close the city to fight the epidemic. In 2021, there were 262 days of strict closure measures.
Djokovic was initially detained at immigration control at the airport for several hours when he first arrived in Melbourne, then spent several days in an immigration hotel. A few days later, his visa was reinstated after a court review by a judge who ordered his release after he ruled that border officials had ignored proper process when he entered the country.
By Friday (14th), Australia’s immigration minister used his powers under Australia’s Immigration Act to cancel Djokovic’s visa again.
Under the law, the Immigration Minister can deport anyone who, in his opinion, poses a potential risk to the “health, safety or good order of Australian society”.
But Djokovic can still appeal.
Prior to this, Djokovic had responded to allegations that the agent filled in the wrong visa application form “whether you have traveled within 14 days before entry”, saying that it was an accidental error. He also admitted that he violated the relevant quarantine rules after contracting the new crown virus in December last year, and received a reporter and gave an interview two days after the new crown test result was positive.
The politics behind the visa turmoil
Analysis by BBC Australia correspondent Shaimaa Khalil:
There is no good outcome for the Australian government in its handling of this matter.
The Australian government has been at a disadvantage since Djokovic announced he was coming to defend his Australian Open title.
image source,EPA
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government has aroused strong dissatisfaction at home and abroad over the issue of whether tennis stars can enter the country.
Following a court ruling in favour of Djokovic, the Australian government has again decided to cancel his visa, mainly to save face among Australian voters in an election year.
To that end, the Australian government is prepared to endure any diplomatic influence, international embarrassment and the wrath of Djokovic’s supporters.
For the past two weeks, Australia’s federal government has insisted that no one is above the rules, not even the world number one in men’s tennis.
Such a simple, clear principle is not the case when dealing with it.
The afternoon before Djokovic arrived in Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he would immediately “get on a flight home” if his documents were not in compliance when he arrived in Melbourne.
On January 6, the day after Djokovic’s visa was cancelled, Morrison reiterated that “rules are rules”.
When Djokovic challenged the decision, Morrison said it was up to the courts.
But the whole thing could have ended when a judge ruled in Djokovic’s favor, citing procedural errors at Melbourne Airport, and ordered the government to restore his visa and release him from custody.
The immigration minister chose to use his executive powers to cancel the visa and deport Djokovic.
Much has been said about the main political motivation behind this. And it’s really about politics. Political issues are inevitable.
On the Australian government side, there are two things to consider.
First, it’s embarrassing for the Morrison government. To Australians and the world, politicians appear to be enforcing rules they themselves do not understand or do not understand. They also don’t communicate with each other.
The second question is related to Covid-19 rather than tennis. Australians are shocked and outraged. The two most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria, have reported tens of thousands of cases for weeks.
Clinics are struggling with testing and the death toll is rising. While infection rates are not as fast as in Europe or the United States, this is Australia, a country that has implemented some of the strictest COVID-19 rules in the world. In Australia, sometimes a single positive case can put an entire city or state into lockdown.
Now, in stark contrast to their situation is a tennis star who has spoken out against vaccinations, admitting to breaking quarantine rules and providing false information on travel declarations when he tested positive for Covid-19. There are even different accounts of when he was found to be positive for the new crown.
Someone asked me on Twitter: If it were you and me, would we still be allowed to enter Australia after all this?
The answer is simple, absolutely not.
There is no doubt that the Morrison government was hurt by the controversy.
Political wrangling between state and federal governments; lack of communication at all levels of government; opacity over which rules apply to whom; a famous unvaccinated athlete violating Covid-19 rules. All this mess is what politicians have been trying to straighten out.
Given everything we know now, if the Australian government doesn’t end up cancelling Djokovic’s visa, they’ll have more to explain.