A day after the release of Novak Djokovic from the quarantine hotel in Melbourne where he has been staying since Thursday, it is still uncertain whether he will be allowed to stay in Australia. Djokovic was refused entry to the country last Wednesday, where he wants to defend his title at the Melbourne Grand Slam tournament, because he does not want to disclose whether he has been vaccinated against the corona virus. On Monday, a judge ruled that the tennis player may remain: he had handed over a medical exemption certificate upon arrival at the airport, issued by Tennis Australia, the organizer of the tournament. Djokovic is said to have had Covid-19 in December.
Australian immigration minister Alex Hawke is now considering whether to use his ministerial powers to deprive the unvaccinated Djokovic of his visa. The authorities are investigating, among other things whether the Serb lied on the travel form which he signed on arrival in Melbourne. In it, he stated that he had not been to other countries in the 14 days before his arrival to Australia, while social media shows that he traveled to Spain. Providing incorrect information carries a possible fine and even jail time.
The situation is causing mounting diplomatic tensions. On Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić at her request, assuring her that “Australia’s border policy is non-discriminatory and is important for protecting Australia during the pandemic.”
‘Rules are rules’
It is surprising that the issue has risen so high. The rules seemed clear: all travelers to Australia must be vaccinated or have received a medical exemption. The Australian government has explicitly stated that the exemption does not apply to unvaccinated people who have had a corona infection in the past six months. “Rules are rules, especially when it comes to our borders,” Prime Minister Morrison said. “No one is above the rules.”
But the reality turned out to be a lot more murky. The unvaccinated Djokovic’s visa application was approved and he received a message from the Australian government that he appeared to meet all the requirements.
There was also a lack of clarity about who is responsible for granting the medical exception. Letters that the Australian Tennis Association received from the authorities, it would appear that not the federal government, but the government of the state of Victoria, in which Melbourne is located, who has responsibility.
Prime Minister Morrison confirmed this on Wednesday while Djokovic was on his way to Melbourne. When asked how that was possible, he said: “It’s up to the state government. They granted him that exemption, and we are acting accordingly.”
Read also Djokovic can stay, but unvaccinated top athletes are getting more and more difficult
The contradictory policy has come under criticism from the government both at home and abroad. Initially there was a lot of support from the Australian population for refusing the unvaccinated tennis player. Australians value fair treatment for everyone, a ‘fair go’, and believe that famous top athletes do not just deserve an exceptional position. Certainly not with vaccination, where more than 92 percent of the population has had two shots. “There is little understanding for the fact that Djokovic has not been vaccinated,” writes political commentator Michelle Grattan in newspaper The Age. “But letting him come to Melbourne and refuse him until the airport is an absurd theater play.”
Asylum seekers
While Morrison’s conservative government’s hard-border policy usually works to his political advantage, it has fueled more criticism of its strict immigration policies. Djokovic’s stay at the quarantine hotel in Melbourne draws attention to the asylum seekers who have sometimes been held in the same hotel for years under poor conditions. Jamal Mohammed, who has been incarcerated since 2013, has called on the tennis player to use his position to advocate for their freedom. “Now the world finally sees how we are treated here,” he tells news website ABC.
Now we are waiting for immigration secretary Alex Hawke. It is not clear when he will make the decision. But whatever the government decides, the loss of face cannot be reversed. “It should never have come this far,” said former immigration chief Abul Rizvi in the current affairs program 7.30. „If the minister is smart, he will not react in the heat of the moment. Because losing such a case again is too much of a loss for the government.”
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