Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic has had his visa cancelled for a second time and is set to be deported, crushing his hopes of staying in Melbourne to defend his Australian Open crown.
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke used his discretionary powers to cancel Djokovic’s visa on Friday, four days after the federal government had backed down on sending him home.
In a statement Mr Hawke said: ‘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 environment.’
Mr Hawke’s decision also comes just three days out from the start of the Australian Open where Djokovic had hoped to become the most successful male player of all time.
It will likely result in another round of court action by the 34-year-old Serb who has already won the Open nine times, and throw the grand slam tournament into further disarray.
However, legal experts say it would be difficult – if not impossible – for Djokovic to successfully challenge a visa cancellation decision made personally by the Immigration Minister.
Djokovic could be held in detention in Melbourne while the Open goes on without the world’s top ranked player, creating a nightmare scenario for Tennis Australia.
Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic has had his visa cancelled for a second time and is set to be deported, despite a judge finding he could stay in Melbourne to defend his Australian Open crown
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke was handed the poisoned chalice of deciding whether Novak Djokovic would be allowed to stay in Australia after his visa was originally cancelled upon arrival
Novak Djokovic (pictured with wife Jelena) wants to play in the Australian Open and become the first male tennis player to win 21 grand slam singles titles
Protests have been predicted and the federal government can expect an international backlash in response to its decision, particularly from Serbia.
Calls for Djokovic to be deported increased after inconsistencies emerged between his sworn evidence on immigration documents and social media posts.
Djokovic, who is not vaccinated against Covid, was denied a visa to enter Australia on January 6 by a Border Force official but that decision was overturned by the Federal Circuit Court on Monday.
He has since admitted providing false information on his travel entry form, which incorrectly claimed he had not travelled in the 14 days before his arrival in Melbourne, despite visiting Spain.
Djokovic has also conceded he breached Serbia’s isolation rules after learning he had tested positive to the virus on December 16.
Djokovic concedes he provided false information on his travel entry form, which incorrectly claimed he had not travelled in the 14 days before his arrival in Melbourne, despite visiting Spain
Protests have been predicted and the federal government can expect an international backlash in response to its decision, particularly from Serbia. Members of Melbourne’s Serbian community are pictured on Monday
Djokovic said he had been interviewed in person by a French newspaper while infected with Covid, and blamed his agent for the ‘administrative error’ on his travel entry form.
Discrepancies emerged after Djokovic issued a lengthy Instagram statement on Wednesday to clarify ‘misinformation’ about his movements while positive with Covid.
‘I want to address the continuing misinformation about my activities and attendance at events in December in the lead-up to my positive Covid test result,’ it began.
‘I want to emphasise that I have tried very hard to ensure the safety of everyone and my compliance with testing obligations.’
Djokovic admitted doing a interview and photo shoot L’Equipe while infected with Covid as he had a long standing commitment to do so.
‘I cancelled all other events except for the L’Equipe interview,’ Djokovic said.
‘I felt obliged to go ahead and conduct the L’Équipe interview as I didn’t want to let the journalist down, but did ensure I socially distanced and wore a mask except when my photograph was taken.’
He also addressed the ‘human errors’ on his travel declaration which failed to declare that he had visited Spain in the 14 days before his arrival at Melbourne Airport.
‘This was submitted by my support team on my behalf – as I told immigration officials on my arrival – and my agent sincerely apologises for the administrative mistake in ticking the incorrect box about my previous travel before coming to Australia,’ Djokovic continued.
Fans became increasingly agitated when their hero failed to emerge from his lawyers’ office on Monday evening – before it became clear he had somehow sneaked out undetected
‘This was a human error and certainly not deliberate. We are living in challenging times in a global pandemic and sometimes these mistakes can occur.
‘Today, my team has provided additional information to the Australian government to clarify this ‘matter.’
Djokovic had been granted a medical exemption to play in Melbourne by Tennis Australia. He believed he had met criteria set by Australia’s advisory board on immunisation and been given a federal government declaration he could travel.
He took his case to the Federal Circuit Court where the federal government agreed to settle the case and Judge Anthony Kelly quashed the cancellation of Djokovic’s visa on Monday.
Judge Kelly found that tearing up Djokovic’s visa had been unreasonable and he had not been given enough time by Australian Border Force officials to respond to their concerns.
Having beaten the Minister for Home Affairs, Karen Andrews, Djokovic then had to contend with Mr Hawke, a close ally of Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
It was originally speculated Mr Hawke had just four hours to make a decision on Djokovic’s visa after it was reinstated by a Federal Circuit Court judge on Monday
‘Following today’s Federal Circuit and Family Court determination on a procedural ground, it remains within Immigration Minister Hawke’s discretion to consider cancelling Mr Djokovic’s visa,’ a spokesman for Mr Hawke had said on Monday night.
‘… The minister is currently considering the matter.’
Judge Kelly had said on Monday if the government intended to cancel Djokovic’s visa the Federal Circuit Court must be given ample notice to prepare for future proceedings.
There were jubilant scenes on the streets on Melbourne on Monday night after Novak Djokovic was freed from immigration detention
Fans dance and sing outside an immigration detention hotel where Serbian Novak Djokovic was confined in Melbourne
Mr Hawke had three options open to him.
He could have let Djokovic stay in Australia to compete in the Open, he could re-cancel his visa and ban the star from coming to Australia for three years, or he could cancel the visa but not impose a three-year ban.
Either of the second and third options was likely to lead to more legal action.
The Australia Open starts on January 17 when Djokovic wanted to launch his bid to become the most-decorated men’s singles player of all time.
Djokovic is currently level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 grand slam titles. Federer is out of this year’s tournament with injury, while Nadal will be playing.
Novak Djokovic is still in limbo as immigration minister refuses to rule out cancelling his visa – but posted this picture of himself practicing at Rod Laver area just hours after he was finally released from detention after a five-day-long ordeal
Members of the Serbian community (pictured) are seen marching through Melbourne on Monday night, with the scene soon becoming violent as protesters crashed with police – leading to many being pepper-sprayed
Djokovic first responded on Monday to the federal government’s failed cancellation of his visa, saying he still wanted to compete at the Australian Open next week.
‘I’m pleased and grateful that the judge overturned my visa cancellation,’ he wrote on Twitter.
‘Despite all that has happened, I want to stay and try to compete.
‘I remain focused on that. I flew here to play at one of the most important events we have in front of the amazing fans.’
Djokovic’s family said in a press conference in Serbia that he had returned to training on the tennis court and the ‘rule of law has won’.
His father Srdjan said: ‘I call on Queen Elizabeth, the leader of the Commonwealth, to intervene and protect the human rights of my son and to stop the political prosecution carried out against him since he came to Australia.’
This black car, which many fans were convinced was taking Djokovic away from his lawyer’s office on Monday night, was quickly surrounded as police tried to keep them back
Ecstatic fans reacted with joy when they learned Djokovic was going to be released (pictured in Melbourne on Monday)
Australian Border Force was investigating claims Djokovic allegedly lied on his entry form by claiming he had not travelled in the 14 days leading up to his arrival in Melbourne.
All travellers arriving in Australia are asked if they have ‘travelled or will travel in the 14 days prior to your flight to Australia’.
They are also warned: ‘Giving false or misleading information is a serious offence. You may also be liable to a civil penalty for giving false or misleading information.’
Djokovic ticked ‘No’ in response to the question, however that appears to be in conflict with the timeline of his recent movements documented on social media.
He appears to have been playing tennis in the streets of Belgrade on December 25 and on December 31, footage emerged of Djokovic having a hit out in south-east Spain.
The maximum penalty for providing false or misleading information to the Australian government is 12 months’ imprisonment.
The situation in Melbourne became increasingly hostile of Djokovic fans turned up outside his lawyers’ office to see the star released (pictured on Monday night)
The Department of Home Affairs claimed Djokovic had relied on out-of-date Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation advice to enter the country.
Djokovic’s visa was originally cancelled upon his arrival at Melbourne Airport and he was held in a cheap hotel under an immigration detention order while he waited for his appeal to be held.
Then followed five days of chaotic bureaucracy and finger pointing between the federal government, the Victorian government and Tennis Australia.
After hours of legal argument Judge Kelly ordered Djokovic be freed from detention at Melbourne’s Park Hotel by no later than 5.46pm on Monday.
He quashed the decision to tear up Djokovic’s visa and ordered that his passport and other personal belongings be returned.
Supporters of Serbian Novak Djokovic chant and sing outside the offices of lawyers following his court win on Monday
Opposition Home Affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally has described the saga as a lose-lose situation for the federal government and said it made Australia ‘look like a bit of a joke’ on the world stage.
‘The Morrison government looks like a pack of idiots that couldn’t organise a meat tray at the local raffle,’ Ms Keneally told Sky News on Tuesday.
‘It would be a joke, except the consequences here are so serious.’
Serbia’s parliamentary speaker Ivica Dacic had voiced his exasperation that the case was ongoing, saying ‘the process should have ended when the court ruled on the matter’.
‘The Australian authorities have obviously chosen to deport him, which also includes a three-year ban on entering Australia,’ Mr Dacic said. ‘It defies common sense.’
Victoria recorded 37,169 Covid infections – including 16,843 rapid antigen results – on Thursday, with a record high 953 patients in hospital and 111 in intensive care.
DJOKOVIC COMES CLEAN ABOUT HIS COVID TESTS AND VISA DEBACLE
‘I want to address the continuing misinformation about my activities and attendance at events in December in the lead-up to my positive Covid test result.
This is misinformation which needs to be corrected, particularly in the interest of alleviating broader concern in the community about my presence in Australia, and to address matters which are very hurtful and concerning to my family.
I want to emphasise that I have tried very hard to ensure the safety of everyone and my compliance with testing obligations.
I attended a basketball game in Belgrade on 14 December after which it was reported that a number of people tested positive to Covid-19.
Despite having no Covid symptoms, I took a rapid antigen test on 16 December which was negative, and out of an abundance of caution, also took an official and approved PCR test on that same day.
The next day I attended a tennis event in Belgrade to present awards to children and took a rapid antigen test before going to the event, and it was negative.
I was asymptomatic and felt good, and I had not received the notification of a positive PCR test until after that event.
The next day, on 18 December I was at my tennis centre in Belgrade to fulfil a long-standing commitment for a L’Équipe interview and photoshoot. I cancelled all other events except for the L’Equipe interview.
I felt obliged to go ahead and conduct the L’Équipe interview as I didn’t want to let the journalist down, but did ensure I socially distanced and wore a mask except when my photograph was taken.
Djokovic is pictured practising on Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday, ahead of his bid to win a tenth Australian Open crown
When I went home after the interview to isolate for the required period, on reflection, this was an error of judgment and I accept that I should have rescheduled this commitment.
On the issue of my travel declaration, this was submitted by my support team on my behalf – as I told immigration officials on my arrival – and my agent sincerely apologises for the administrative mistake in ticking the incorrect box about my previous travel before coming to Australia.
This was a human error and certainly not deliberate. We are living in challenging times in a global pandemic and sometimes these mistakes can occur. Today, my team has provided additional information to the Australian government to clarify this matter.
While I felt it was important to address and clarify misinformation I will not be making any further comment out of utmost respect for the Australian government and their authorities and the current process.
It was always an honour and a privilege to play in the Australian Open. The Australian Open is much-loved by players, fans and the community, not just in Victoria and in Australia but around the globe, and I just want to have the opportunity to compete against the best players in the world and perform before one of the best crowds in the world.’
