Unvaccinated Djokovic has visa cancelled again days before Australian Open
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- 14 Jan 2022
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Djokovic, who is in Melbourne to attempt to win the Australian Open for a 10th time, is unvaccinated against COVID-19 and his permission to play at the tournament has been the subject of a long-running saga.
The Serbian's visa was already cancelled once, but this was overturned on appeal and Djokovic's legal team have suggested they will appeal this decision as well.
The Australia Open begins on Monday (January 17) and Djokovic's participation is once again in serious jeopardy, with the host nation seeking to have him deported.
"Today I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so," Hawke said in a statement.
"This decision followed orders by the Federal Circuit and Family Court on January 10 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 everyday to serve Australia's interests in increasingly challenging operational environments."
Should Djokovic fail with his next legal challenge, the 34-year-old will face not only deportation but also a three-year-ban on obtaining a new Australian visa.
Hawke's intervention is the latest twist in a tale which has dominated the build-up to the tournament in and seen Djokovic accused of flouting coronavirus regulations in three different countries.
Djokovic initially landed in Australia on January 5, having obtained an exemption from tournament organisers to play in the Australian Open while being unvaccinated.
It is claimed that Djokovic had COVID-19 on December 16, which medical panels assembled by Tennis Australia and the Victorian Government accepted was grounds for an exemption.
However, border officials were of the opinion that Djokovic had failed to meet vaccination requirements to enter Australia - a separate process - and designated him for deportation.
Djokovic appealed, had to stay in a detention centre over the following weekend, and was then successful in that appeal. Read More…
