Some time in the next few days, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke will decide whether or not to cancel Novak Djokovic’s visa. It’s a decision with big political implications for the credibility of the Morrison government, its election chances, and the immediate future of the Australian Open.
But while Hawke delays, the case in favour of Djokovic’s entry to Australia is starting to look increasingly flimsy. The tennis star’s own narrative is riddled with contradictions, and there are questions about the validity of his claimed medical exemption.
Did Djokovic lie on his travel form?
On a declaration form signed on entry to Australia on January 6, and released as part of Monday’s Federal Circuit Court proceedings, Djokovic claimed he had not travelled in the preceding 14 days. But the internet sheds doubt on this. Here’s a tweet from a Portuguese journalist showing Djokovic was in Belgrade on Christmas Day. But further tweets show he was training in Marbella, Spain, over the new year. Djokovic claims the form was filled out on his behalf by Tennis Australia.
So what does this mean? Hawke isn’t commenting on whether the discrepancy provides new grounds for visa cancellation. But providing misleading information on a travel declaration form can trigger criminal penalties of up to 12 months’ imprisonment.
When did Djokovic actually have COVID?
Key to Djokovic’s claim for entry is an alleged previous COVID-19 infection. But while he claims to have tested positive on December 16, sleuth reporting from Der Spiegel has thrown up anomalies around the date of infection.
The time stamp on the digital version of Djokovic’s test results suggest his positive test was actually from December 26, not 10 days earlier. Further digging indicated his positive result, allegedly from December 16, was added to the Serbian database after a negative test from December 22.
The questions around when he got infected come after photos were revealed showing him gallivanting around Belgrade without a mask while he supposedly had COVID. On December 16 he was pictured with former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen. On December 17 he was presenting trophies to junior tennis players. On December 18 he did a photoshoot (again, maskless) for French newspaper L’Equipe.
It’s unclear whether any of this will bear on Djokovic’s case to stay in Australia. But under Serbian rules, a person with COVID must isolate for 14 days. Clearly he breached this. And clearly the issues around when he got COVID add another layer of murkiness.
Who even let him in?
Here’s where things get particularly murky.
Djokovic believed he had all the paperwork needed to enter Australia when he arrived in Melbourne last Thursday. He thought a prior COVID infection in the past six months would be enough to grant him entry.
Leaked letters show federal health bureaucrats advised Tennis Australia that vaccine exemptions were Victoria’s responsibility. On January 5, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Djokovic’s exemption was a matter for the Victorian government. Yesterday Victorian Premier Dan Andrews said responsibility for such exemptions lay with the federal government.
On December 30, Tennis Australia granted Djokovic a medical exemption, allowing him to play, on the grounds that his prior COVID infection allowed him to enter without being vaccinated.
Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley defended Djokovic’s exemption on the grounds that prior infection meant he met guidelines set out by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI). But ATAGI says evidence of prior infection was never enough to entitle an overseas traveller to an exemption. As far back as November, Health Minister Greg Hunt had informed Tennis Australia recently infected players wouldn’t be exempt from vaccine entry restrictions.
Through a tangle of pointed fingers, it looks like Tennis Australia was operating under its own rules. But whether Djokovic was entitled to an exemption to enter is a question that wasn’t resolved by the Federal Circuit Court on Monday, with the decision to quash the cancellation of Djokovic’s visa coming down to a procedural issue. The matter could be back in court — but only if Hawke decides to ultimately cancel Djokovic’s visa.
I reckon the failure to be honest in his various declarations makes whatever Tennis Oz advised him, irrelevant…I’m pretty sure that’s how the law would be applied to any of us, getting caught up in some similar (though less media-worthy) scenario with border officials.
ND clearly doesn’t give a RATs (nyuk nyuk) about rules, regulations, and all that petty stuff that applies to the little folk. Furthermore, he’s such a bad lazy liar that he’s caught himself up in his own bs, re. dates, fb posts and the like. Reminds me a bit of Scotty, actually!
Like Pistol and Boo, they’ve both gotta go. One now, the other in May or sooner.
Even if the Federal Government said vaccine exemptions were the Victorian government’s responsibility, they are not. They are a Federal responsibility, and getting the Victorians to do some of the legwork does not abrogate their responsibility.
If you delegate a task to somebody else, you still retain oversight of the task – and in cases such as this one, when you are not actually responsible for the party you delegate to, you completely carry the can if things don’t get done. Federal responsibility, Federal effort needed.
A sad dogs breakfast- no one will be a winner on this one; with the possible exception of Refugees in detention, who have garnered a lot of international publicity.
ScoMo just doesn’t know how to pick a fight.
By no means lazy lying Scotty has given dorko a shirtfronting he’ll never forget much like the mad monk gave putin.
What a guy!
Does anyone really believe that Scott Morrison gives one jot of concern over the rights or wrongs of Novak Djokovic’s medical exemption? Please be real and see it for what it really is – a pathetic attempt by a little man to appear tough. It’s all about recycling ‘we will decide who comes to Australia” from the Howard storybook – well it worked a treat for Howard.
After his laughable attempts to ‘lead’ Australia’s recovery from COVID19’ Morrison needs any distraction to get Australian minds off the out of control and ballooning COVID19 cases and the complete stuff –up of providing sufficient COVID19 test kits. Remember how for over two years the advice was ‘no matter how small your symptoms get a test’. That advice no longer suits Morrison’s agenda of retaining power at all costs. Now the emphasis is not on saving lives but rather using any means available, including sacrificing people’s well being to achieve his ‘living with COVID19 ideology. And the best thing of all it is cloaked under the pathetic guise of ‘self-responsibility’.
Furthermore, we are advised by Morrison and the health ‘experts’ not to pay attention to case numbers. What a pile of crap!!!. Increasing case numbers are important, they tell us how we are faring against the spread of the virus, greater case numbers means more of a chance for others to get COVID19 and indicates the increasing strain placed on our health system simply by weight of numbers from of this slightly milder variant of COVIT19.
Morrison who is now so well defined by his incompetence regarding handling the COVID19 crisis, his use of rort upon rort, lie upon lie and moral bankruptcy is akin to a drowning man clutching at any straw to boost his popularity and hence save his desperate craving for power he believes he is entitled to.
Huge tip for you Scott, the biggest thing you could do to immediately to boost your popularity is to call an election right now, giving us all the opportunity to take out the trash.
Self-centered ignorance of or willful blindness to Australian State and/or Federal law and Corporate responsibility appear to pervade sporting event participants, sporting event organisers, State Government political parties and Federal Government political parties. Assessments of motivations driving all parties to the shambles will range from personal ambition, financial gain, political maneuvering, total indifference, unwillingness to shoulder the burdens of corporate and governmental responsibility etc. etc. etc. Take your pick or the whole bag!
Once again Covid has exposed the medical, political, ethical and legal morass our nation is plumbing the depths of. If only it were a simple one-issue problem. This predicament is emblematic of our nation. It is quite evident that neither our corporate nor political leaders are interested in, see value in or are capable of addressing our national societal problems which underpin the debacles which infest our moral and ethical landscape.