Allowing 21-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic into the country would be a “slap in the face” to vaccinated Australians, according to the Shadow Home Affairs Minister.
Djokovic, who is unvaccinated against Covid-19, has been strong in his opposition to getting the jab, inadvertently becoming a poster boy of the anti-vax movement.
In January, the Serbian’s entry visa was cancelled as he tried to enter the country for the 2022 Australian Open, just hours after he had touted his “exemption permission” on Instagram.
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Immigration Minister Alex Hawke cancelled his visa “on health and good order grounds”, and Djokovic was then deported from the country on the eve of the grand slam tournament, which was won by Rafael Nadal.
The nine-time Australian Open champion copped a three-year ban following the ordeal, but the Albanese government is reportedly considering overturning the sanction due to changing circumstances around Covid-19 restrictions for the unvaccinated.
Earlier this week, Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley confirmed the 35-year-old was eager to return to Melbourne for next year’s Australian Open.
However former home affairs Minister Karen Andrews has warned against the move, arguing it would be unjust for vaccinated Australians who abided by strict Covid-19 protocols for two years.
“It would be a slap in the face for those people in Australia who did the right thing … if all of a sudden, Novak Djokovic is allowed back into the country, simply because he is a high-ranking tennis player with many millions of dollars,” she told ABC Radio Melbourne.
“I don’t think there is any reason it should be overturned because someone has a lot of money.
“It shouldn’t be one rule for Novak Djokovic and a different rule for everybody else.”
Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan warned that allowing Djokovic into the country could bring the integrity of the country’s immigration system into disrepute.
“As a tennis lover, I’d love to see him there … but the most important thing here is that we protect the integrity of our immigration system,” Tehan told Sky News Australia.
“The rules about coming into Australia have changed, you don’t have to be vaccinated anymore.
“If they decide that he can come, they’ve got to do so in making that decision in a way to protect the integrity of our immigration system.”
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews put the onus on the federal government to determine whether Djokovic could return to Australian shores this summer.
“Who gets into the country and whatever rules and different processes they have to go through is a matter for the Commonwealth government,” he said.
“The government of Victoria does not issue visas or passports, so that would be entirely a matter for the Commonwealth government.”
Speaking to reporters in July, Djokovic expressed a desire to return to Australia despite the ugly deportation drama.
“I was deported from the country to which I would like to come back,” he said.
“I would love to come back to Australia. I love Australia, I had my best Grand Slam results in that country.
“Hopefully in January I can be there because I want to be there, and I also want to be in New York. I want to be in America, I want to be everywhere I can possibly play.
“I am a professional tennis player, I don’t go into politics or anything else because that doesn’t interest me.
“I have my stance and I am a proponent for freedom to choose what is best for you. I respect everything and everybody, and at least I expect people to respect my decision.
“If I have permission, I’ll be there. If I don’t, I won’t be there – it’s not the end of the world.
“I still feel young in my own skin, I feel I have many more years to come so there will be a lot of opportunities.”
