Djokovic faces deportation as Australia revokes visa again

MELBOURNE – Tennis prima Novak Djokovic faces deportation again aft the Australian authorities revoked his visa for a 2nd time.

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said Friday helium utilized his ministerial discretion to revoke the 34-year-old Serb’s visa connected nationalist involvement grounds 3 days earlier the Australian Open is to begin.

Djokovic’s lawyers are expected to entreaty the cancelation successful the Federal Circuit and Family Court, arsenic they successfully did aft the archetypal cancellation.

Hawke said helium canceled the visa connected “health and bully bid grounds, connected the ground that it was successful the nationalist involvement to bash so.”

“The Morrison Government is firmly committed to protecting Australia’s borders, peculiarly successful narration to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hawke said successful a statement, referring to Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

It is the 2nd clip Djokovic’s visa has been canceled since helium arrived successful Melbourne past week to support his Australian Open title.

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His exemption from a COVID-19 vaccination request to vie was approved by the Victoria authorities authorities and Tennis Australia, the tourney organizer. That seemingly allowed him to person a visa to travel.

But the Australian Border Force rejected the exemption and canceled his visa upon accomplishment successful Melbourne. Djokovic spent 4 nights successful an migration detention edifice earlier a justice connected Monday overturned that decision.

Melbourne-based migration lawyer Kian Bone said Djokovic’s lawyers look an “extremely difficult” task to get tribunal orders implicit the play to let their lawsuit to play adjacent week.

“For Djokovic to get the outcomes helium needs to play would beryllium highly hard to get implicit the weekend,” Bone said.

Hawke’s hold successful reaching a determination bordered connected punitive, Bone said.

“If you near it immoderate aboriginal than helium has done now, I deliberation from a strategical standpoint he’s (Hawke’s) truly hamstringing Djokovic’s ineligible team, successful presumption of what benignant of options oregon remedies helium could obtain,” Bone said hours earlier the determination was announced.

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The lawyers would request to spell earlier a work justice of the Federal Circuit and Family Court oregon a higher justice of the Federal Court to get 2 urgent orders.

One bid would beryllium an injunction preventing his deportation, similar the bid helium gained past week. The 2nd would bid Hawke to assistance Djokovic a visa to play.

“That 2nd bid is astir not precedented,” Bone said. “Very seldom bash the courts bid a subordinate of the enforcement authorities to assistance a visa.”

Jacqui Lambie, an influential autarkic senator, argued that Djokovic should beryllium sent packing if helium had breached Australia's vaccine rules.

But hours earlier the visa cancelation was announced, she complained astir however agelong Hawke was taking to scope a decision.

“Why does this support dripping retired of the tap? Alex Hawke, wherever are you? Missing successful action?" Lambie asked connected Nine Network television.

“If you can’t marque a determination connected Novak Djokovic, goodness me, however are you guys moving the country? This is an implicit shambles,” she added.

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McGuirk reported from Canberra, Australia.

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