Immigration Minister cancels Novak Djokovic’s visa

news.com.au ^ | 14th January 2022 | James Mathey and Nic Savage

[naturalman1975]

The Federal Government has decided to cancel Novak Djokovic’s visa because it was “in the public interest to do so”, casting serious doubt over whether the 20-time grand slam champion will compete in the Australian Open.

Last week’s decision to cancel Djokovic’s visa was overturned in the Federal Circuit Court on Monday, but Federal Immigration Minister Alex Hawke still had the final say on whether the world No. 1 is allowed to stay in the country.

Hawke was tasked with choosing whether the 34-year-old was a risk to the health and safety of the Australia community, but “lengthy further submissions” from Djokovic’s legal team delayed a decision.

And Hawke finally came to a decision on Friday afternoon, invoking his discretionary power and immediately seeking to deport the tennis star.

“Today I exercised my power under section 133C (3) of the Migration Actto 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 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.”

Djokovic’s lawyers are expected to seek an immediate injunction which would allow him to stay and play his first round of the Australian Open pending an expedited trial next week.

[Alberta's Child]

I appreciate your objective posts on this subject. But let’s be honest here, dude … is this really a matter of “border security” when you’re dealing with a high-profile athlete who couldn’t possibly get away with entering Australia illegally and living there indefinitely as an invader?

Your posts make it sound like he’s the equivalent of some Guatemalan who paid a cartel to transport him through Mexico to the U.S. border where he entered our country under a bogus asylum claim and has no intention of ever showing up for his asylum hearing in court.

[TheStickman]

There is no “bravery” in authoritarianism. Just cowardice, malevolence & misery creation.

[naturalman1975]

We are talking about a perfectly healthy tennis player. One person.

The problem is, that doesn't really matter. One case can set dangerous precedents.

At the moment we have a situation where this one person is in Australia without having met the requirements for entry laid down in federal law. That, by itself, is a fairly minor problem.

But one of the reasons the judge allowed it is because he had a document from the government of the state of Victoria exempting him from their internal state based vaccine mandate. The Victorian government did not intend this document to be used for entry to Australia.

The problem for border security is, by doing that, the Judge has allowed a state government to set entry requirements to all of Australia. That is unconstitutional, but it is also dangerous because of the way the Victorian government operates - Victoria has a hard left socialist government that is extremely close to China in a lot of ways - it tried to use Chinese government money to build critical infrastructure in Victoria, over the objection of the federal government, until the federal government was able to overrule that - using what is called the external affairs power in the constitution. This decision actually has the potential to overturn the external affairs power, but more significantly could also allow a Chinese friendly state government to allow entry to certain people from China, that the federal government has good reason to keep out of Australia, given current relations between our countries.

These complexities generally aren't clear to most people but they do matter.

[.30Carbine]

Ephesians 6:12

[period end of story]

I’m sure the complexities are too mind-boggling for
a serf like me.

Lucky for me I’m not Serb.

[naturalman1975]

See my reply at 43 - but I'll add to it.

In the past, any time, that Australia's borders have appeared at all weak, this has been exploited by people smugglers in south east Asia. Significant numbers (thousands) of people have tried to enter Australia by boat during these periods, hundreds have died trying to do so. This is dangerous to both Australia's immigration security, and to the people these people these people smugglers exploit.

The only effective way Australia has found to stop this happening is to have extremely strict border laws founded on the statement by Prime Minister John Howard in 2001 that "we will decide who comes here, and the circumstances under which they arrive."

We have basically stopped illegal immigration by that route into Australia when we put in place, strict, inviolable rules.

Anything that makes those laws look like they've been weakened is likely to lead to a resumption of those boat arrivals.

So we don't make exceptions. We don't weaken them.

This graph is a little out of date now - in 2013, the border laws were tightened again after the Labor government that was elected in 2007 weakened them and we're back down to basically zero numbers - but it does illustrate the difference we see when our laws are very strict, and when they are seen as relaxed at all - because the law change in 2007 certainly wasn't open borders - it was still pretty strict. But pretty strict isn't enough. It needs to be rock solid.

There's other factors too - complexities relating to High Court decisions - that I can into if you really want me to. But the danger here is greater than I think a lot of people easily understand. A lot of it is about international perception as to how strict our rules are - the people smugglers will exploit anything to convince people they now have a chance to get in, that the rules have been weakened at all.

[naturalman1975]

No, I’m sure if you wanted to, you could understand them.

But I doubt you’d want to learn that much Australian constitutional law and history.

I’ve already done that. It matters to me because I live here. And I’ve dedicated my life to defending my country against all threats.

[period end of story]

And I’ve dedicated my life to defending my country against all threats.

I'm scared.

[roving]

From reading his other comments, he will be the one wearing the armband with his boot on others necks

[Fury]

You're as gleeful as those execrable Lefty Twitter bluechecks when they get a "win" for their side, and so are a lot of your countrysubjects.

You’re just picking an argument with your statement, just stop. Ultimately, it’s their country and their rules.

It certainly does diminish the Australian Open.

[naturalman1975]

I think you’ve said this before and it just shows how you really don’t understand at all.

I’m fighting the incipient authoritarianism in Australia and people like you are making it harder because you’re blaming the wrong people and allowing the people who are actually trying to push Australia in that direction to avoid blame and scrutiny.

Take a look at the Victorian and Western Australian governments - and stop blaming the Australian government for the problems they cause.

[naturalman1975]

No, you don't.

I love ignorant morons who tell me I believe things I don't.

[CrouchingTiger620]

I’m a huge Federer fan who would love nothing more than Nadal or Djoko never winning another major yet this is crushing for the sport. I read his book last year on diet and it really changed my mind about how I feel about him as a person and a player. I’ll still root for Fed against him every time (I still have nightmares about up 40/15 at Wimbledon) but I respect Djoko and he may be the greatest (not most talented, that is Fed) player ever. That one person could ban him (will it be 3 years?) from this is crazy. He is without a doubt the greatest AO player of all time. I am also shocked the other players could care less.

[TexasM1A]

The dude just needs to get on a plane a get the hell out of west China.

[vivenne]

So, why are you on what is basically an American site? Are you here to defend your country from the USA?

[TTFX]

naturalman is only here to embarrass himself defending aurhoritarianism.

[sausageseller]

He doesn't have CoVid .

He is not endangering Australia's border security.

He is not endangering anyone!

The VAX does not stop infection .

Quit being stupid and supporting idiocy!

[mac_truck]

When you refuse to let the world’s #1 tennis player compete in your tournament then by definition your tournament isn’t a championship tournament.

Meh...the Autralain Open will get along just fine without one elite player. Sends a strong message to the rest of the globe trotting super-spreaders, that their antics won't be tolerated.

[Toespi]

“The guy was NEVER going to get in the country to play.”

Which is why he would have come out of this as a hero by simply stating from the beginning that he does not believe in the vaccine and will not be playing in the tournament.

[naturalman1975]

I've been here for nearly seventeen years. I've been a staunch ally of the United States.

I've fought in a US lead war and served alongside US service people.

I believe conservatives everywhere should support each other.