The saga highlights confusion between the state-based rules for avoiding hotel quarantine and the federal process for granting visas for unvaccinated people. It is now clear a state’s approval for a person to skip quarantine does not automatically guarantee their visa to enter Australia will be honoured.
The 20-time grand slam winner was granted an exemption to play at the Australian Open by Tennis Australia and the Victorian government. However,federal border officials blocked his entry on the basis that a COVID-19 infection in the past six months was not grounds for him to enter Australia as an unvaccinated person.
Later in November,letters from Health Minister Greg Hunt and another departmental official explicitly state people who were recently infected will not be allowed into the country. The Victorian government asked Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley to explain the letters afterThe Age and Herald revealed them last week.
Hours before Djokovic arrived in Melbourne,federal officialscontacted the Victorian government. The Victorian government claimed federal authorities wanted Victoria to sponsor his application for quarantine-free entry,a request which Victoria said it rejected. The Morrison government denies this and said it only contacted Victoria to seek more proof of his medical claims.
Hours after Mr Morrison’s comments,Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews released a statement saying that while the Victorian government and Tennis Australia might permit unvaccinated players,“no individual competing at the Australian Open will be afforded any special treatment”.
Djokovic was blocked by Australian Border Force hours later.
The new correspondence explains the private frustration of Tennis Australia administrators who believe the Morrison government has selectively leaked letters to create the impression that the status of recently infected players was clear-cut. The tennis officials believe there was shifting advice and unclear information on government websites.
The new correspondence also shows Tennis Australia asking federal authorities to double-check the exemptions of players three days before they boarded planes to avoid a Djokovic-style airport interrogation.
“In particular,it is the ability to review vaccination certificates/exemptions ahead of the 72-hour window that is most pressing for us,” Tennis Australia wrote to the federal departments of Health and Home Affairs. “We would like to give players some comfort over a process to be followed to ensure any issues can be dealt with well in advance of their journey to Australia.”
In response,a senior federal Health Department official,Andrew Godkin,said on November 17:“[Australian Travel Declaration] and vaccination information is required for jurisdictions to manage travellers on arrival. Health and Home Affairs are unable to provide or review certificates. Certificates are reviewed at check in.”
The confidential letters between Tennis Australia and government officials were revealed amid the backdrop of an impending legal challenge against Djokovic’s deportation,which has prompted a diplomatic feud with his come country,Serbia,and media attention around the world.
Earlier on Sunday,the Morrison government failed in a bid to gain two extra days to ready its case against Djokovic.
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Djokovic’s bid to overturn his deportation is due to be heard on Monday,but Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrewsapplied to the Federal Circuit Court for the hearing to be heard on Wednesday. Judge Anthony Kelly refused the request.
The Morrison government has been contacted about the letters.
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