As far back as October 2021 Djokovic was expressing concern at having to quarantine for two weeks on entering Australia, because he is unvaccinated, so I think this has all been an attempt to circumvent that process.
The first visa cancellation was quashed because of immigration officials’ procedural mistakes, but this time the matter will be heard in Federal court, so I think he’s in for a hard time. The exemption certificate was issued by Tennis Australia with the backing of the Victorian state government - not the Federal Government, which has the last word on who goes and who stays. It was issued on the grounds that he’d already had Covid, but apparently he had already been made aware that that wasn’t a valid reason for exemption. Add to that his vocal opposition to the vaccine and the fact that he’s been proved to have flouted quarantine laws while Covid positive, and a picture emerges of a man who assumes massive privilege.
The Federal Government is now seeking cancellation of his visa on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so. I hope they succeed because someone needs to impress on this arrogant man that just because he’s wonderful at tennis, it doesn’t mean he can ride roughshod over millions of Australians who have endured real hardship during the pandemic. A lot of people have died. he needs to be respectful of that and get things into perspective.
