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CANCELLED – Tennis champion Novak Djokovic has had his Visa cancelled in an 11th hour statement release by Minister for Immigration Alex Hawke.
The Minister has allegedly spent the past week building a case for a decision on whether Djokovic would be allowed to stay and compete in the Australian Open after he had been detained by Border Force on January 6 after there were questions over his vaccine exemption.
Hawke has stated the decision to cancel the Serbian tennis champion’s Visa was done in the interest of public health.
In his official statement, Hawke stated
“The decision followed orders by the Federal Circuit and Family Court on 10 January 2022, quashing a prior cancellation decision on procedural fairness grounds.
In making this decision, I carefully considered information provided to me by the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Border Force and Mr Djokovic.
The Morrison Government is firmly committed to protecting Australia’s borders, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
I thank the officers of the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force who work every day to serve Australia’s interests in increasingly challenging operational environments.”
While Djokovic had succeeded in his court case against being detained, since his release there have been questions around the validity of his claims to catching COVID-19.
The tennis star claimed to have caught the virus on December 16 but had been photographed in multiple events not wearing a mask in the days after.
It also didn’t help that Djokovic failed to declare numerous travel destinations prior to his arrival to Australia – something he states was an oversight by his management.
Hawke’s decision to send Djokovic packing puts the quest for a 10th Australian Open title in serious doubt.
Djokovic’s legal team has already confirmed they will be taking the Minister to court and fight the decision. Keep your Maltesers and popcorn handy…
