Immigration Minister cancels Novak Djokovic’s visa

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

[naturalman1975]

It was a Yes/No question - have you travelled in the last 14 days. It was not a difficult question, or a complex question. I simply do not believe Djokovic's assertion that that answer was a mistake, rather than a lie. This is a man who has been a world traveller for two decades. He should be able to handle a simple immigration form.

The reason he gave for cancelling the visa was the inspiration Djokovic gives to anti-vax Australians.

Do you have any sort of reliable source for that? As far as I can tell at the moment, that's just a claim by Djokovic's lawyers.

These are the published reasons given by Alex Hawke for his decision.

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.

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.

There is nothing in that at all about "anti-vaxx sentiment" as Djokovic's lawyers have said. At the moment, that looks to me like spin from them, rather than reality.

But I haven't been able to rule out there being some other document somewhere that does say what they are claiming.

[naturalman1975]

Sorry - I've now found a more complete document that does show that the Minister did say something clearly along these lines. It's not just spin.

And that does irritate me a bit. And if Djokovic' lawyers can successfully use it to argue that the decision is unfounded, they should.

[naturalman1975]

This matter has changed my attitude toward Australia. I now think the USA should not be allied with Australia. When China comes calling you should defend yourselves if you can without any American help. As far as I can tell the human rights differences between Australia’s governments and the CCP are too small to care about.

"As far as I can tell" - I don't think you can tell much at all.

America has had its share of issues as well - there are vaccine mandates in America. There have been lockdowns in America. There have been curfews in America. But apparently to Americans, that only affects the fundamental freedom of a nation when it happens in other countries.

[devere]

From what I’ve read about Australian immigration law Djokovic has no real chance with his appeal. Hawke has complete discretion under the law to act like a complete asshole. Djokovic and tennis fans will suffer now; Australia will deservedly suffer for many years to come.

[TontoKowalski]

It would be a shame if Djokovic is not allowed to compete.

I'm a tennis fan (mostly men, but will watch a women's match every now and then), particular at the Grand Slam level, and I would lose interest in the tournament.

[devere]

Your evil-minded suspicion is not evidence. Djokovic has a second home in Marbella Spain, and when he goes there he and his staff may not even think of it as “travelling”. In any event, Hawke did NOT base his action on the negligently completed form.

[naturalman1975]

Yeah, of course, nobody would think moving hundreds of miles between different countries constitutes 'travelling'. Don't make me laugh - you cannot be that stupid. Nor can Djokovic.

The contortions people like you are engaging in to give this man a excuse for ignoring Australia's border law is ridiculous.

[devere]

It’s my opinion, so what you think is of no importance at all.

In the USA we haven’t put anyone in a detention camp since 1942, and we are still quite ashamed of that episode.

Australia has degenerated into an elected fascist police state. The democracy does not excuse the lack of human rights, any more than it did in France in 1793-4.

Keep on making enemies for Australia. You are good at it.

[naturalman1975]

In the USA we haven’t put anyone in a detention camp since 1942, and we are still quite ashamed of that episode.

Liar.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention Centers.

[devere]

You are correct. I should have written “any American”, not anyone. I don’t lie, but I do make mistakes, just like Novak LOL.

[TTFX]

The reason he gave for cancelling the visa was the inspiration Djokovic gives to anti-vax Australians.

- - - - -

I’m glad the minister is openly stating that is the reason. It shows everyone he is a mentally ill, drunk on power politician, and his arbitrary decision determines the policy.

[TTFX]

The reason he gave for cancelling the visa was the inspiration Djokovic gives to anti-vax Australians.

- - - - -

Cancelling the visa for that reason gives them more inspiration.

[naturalman1975]

But Americans have been detained in quarantine in the United States.

Coronavirus Update: 346 Americans Emerge From Quarantine At California Military Bases

Either you are a liar, or you have a very poor understanding of what happens in your own country - and probably an even poorer one of what is happening in mine.

I have said in the past that I sometimes wonder if the deliberate misinformation and propaganda being spread about Australia - because, no, Australia has not turned fascist or anything like it - in America is intended to try and make Americans feel better about their own country, or divert their attention away from things happening there.

I'm not saying everything is rosy in Australia because it isn't. The reaction of certain state governments here, including my own in Victoria has been extreme, authoritarian and utterly paranoid at times. I don't believe it should be called fascism - but it's coming closer and closer to that, and it remains to be seen if we've succeeded in pegging it back - I think we have, but we won't know for sure for a while.

But there's also been a huge amount of exaggeration, and blame being assigned to wrong people in order to divert attention away from the real people.

And Americans are viewing the Djokovic situation through a lens utterly distorted by those lies.

[Zhang Fei]

[And Americans are viewing the Djokovic situation through a lens utterly distorted by those lies.]

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You’re suggesting that if they let Djokovic through, they’d have to let every Shanmugam, Amanullah, Suryadi, Nguyen and Chen in? Isn’t there some kind of onesie, twosie exception for notables? And I assume a one-time Grand Slam tournament winner qualifies as one, never mind a 20-time winner?

[naturalman1975]

You’re suggesting that if they let Djokovic through, they’d have to let every Shanmugam, Amanullah, Suryadi, Nguyen and Chen in?

No. It's more complicated than that.

Isn’t there some kind of onesie, twosie exception for notables?

There are special visas for people with 'globally recognised talent' but Djokovic did not travel on one of these. I believe he was travelling on a slightly unusual visa but not that one.

I'm not sure it would have made any difference in this case.

[Zhang Fei]

[There are special visas for people with ‘globally recognised talent’ but Djokovic did not travel on one of these. I believe he was travelling on a slightly unusual visa but not that one.

I’m not sure it would have made any difference in this case.]

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Is this helping Morrison politically? Stateside, the lockdown-happy left-wing states are bowing to political reality and lifting these lockdowns left and right to avoid a potential political tsunami prefigured by the 2021 gubernatorial elections in which a Virginia Democrat ex-governor favored to win by 10 points lost by 2, and an incumbent New Jersey Democrat governor favored to win by double digits (who won his first term by 14%) won by 3. The difference between Australian elections and American ones is this - party leaders do not have a lock on the candidate who ends up being the nominee. This is how Donald Trump became the GOP presidential nominee in 2016 despite having been a registered Democrat for most of his life. Candidates can bob and weave, but they are ultimately accountable to the party’s voters, not a handful of party insiders promoted on the basis of their patience (re waiting for their predecessors to die off).

[naturalman1975]

Is this helping Morrison politically?

Some people think it is. I'm not sure. Yes, it's probably going to be popular kicking him out - the major issue there is that people who have experienced long lockdowns in Melbourne and Sydney, and people all over the country who have to deal with vaccine mandates or they can't work (all of these were decisions by state governments, not the federal, but the anger is still real and not all Australians understand the difference) really don't like the idea of a foreign superstar being given an exception to a mandate.

But the absolutely shambolic nature in which it has happened makes the federal government look incompetent - and there's certainly some truth in that. There will be some backlash as well from voters who do think the federal government has acted unfairly in this case, but probably not that much - most Australians do understand this is primarily about border security, not COVID, and a lot of the ones who do think it's about COVID would have wanted this to happen anyway.

So - swings and roundabouts really, electorally speaking.

Internationally it is going to damage Australia's reputation in some places, but most of that damage has already happened because people have believed a false narrative about totalitarianism in Australia already (note - I'm not saying there hasn't been authoritarianism bordering on totalitarianism at times in some parts of Australia - there has - but it hasn't been the conservative Federal government doing it. It's been the state governments - mostly the socialist ones. But people outside Australia generally don't understand the difference or the constitutional matters involved. They have this idea that the federal government is in charge of everything and can overrule the states - which it can't, when it comes to public health issues, which have been relevant throughout the pandemic. Ignorant people who want to believe Australia has turned totalitarian as a whole are going to see this as confirming their false belief. But, frankly, they already believed it.