Lagatar24 Desk
Melbourne, Jan 14: The Serbian tennis player’s visa has been cancelled yet again by the Australian authorities, putting his participation in the Australian Open in doubt. Djokovic’s visa was once again revoked by the Australian government on Friday, according to Australian Minister for Immigration Alex Hawke. Hawke stated he acted in the ‘public good’ by revoking the World No. 1 player’s visa.
This comes just one day after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged authorities to uphold the government’s policy of requiring all citizens and non-citizens to be fully vaccinated or have a legitimate medical exemption.
The government order reads; “Today I exercise 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.”
“The decision followed the orders by the Federal Circuit and Family Court on 10 January 2022, quashing prior cancellation decision on procedural fairness grounds. The Morrison Government is firmly committed to protecting the Australia’s borders, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Alex Hawke, the Australian Minister for Immigration said in an official statement.
Djokovic is also expected to face a three-year restriction on acquiring a new Australian visa as a result of the government’s decision. Djokovic’s visa was revoked for the first time on January 6, shortly after he arrived in Melbourne, after Australian border Force officers said he had ‘failed to present acceptable proof’ to secure a vaccine exemption.
The Australian population, who endured some of the world’s longest and most stringent lockdowns throughout the outbreak, was likewise outraged. He was held, then spent hours at an airport immigration checkpoint and days at an immigration hotel. His visa was reinstated by a judge a few days later, and he was released after a judge ruled that border authorities had broken protocol when he arrived.
Hawke, though, rejected Djokovic’s visa on Friday under separate powers in Australia’s Migration Act.
