Australian Prime Minister (PM) Scott Morrison spoke with his Serbian counterpart Ana Brnabić on Tuesday after the latter sought a phone call to discuss Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic’s possible deportation.
The statement released by Morrison’s office called the discussion between the two leaders constructive. As per the statement, Morrison reaffirmed Australia’s non-discriminatory border policy and its necessity in safeguarding the country against the COVID-19 pandemic. Morrison also agreed to cooperate with the Serbian government over the Djokovic saga and committed to further strengthening their bilateral relationship.
I’m pleased and grateful that the Judge overturned my visa cancellation. Despite all that has happened,I want to stay and try to compete @AustralianOpen
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 10, 2022
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. 👇 pic.twitter.com/iJVbMfQ037
Serbian media outlet RTS reported, “The (Serbian) prime minister especially emphasised the importance of the conditions for training and physical preparation for the upcoming competition, considering that Novak Djokovic was not allowed to train in the previous days and the tournament in Melbourne starts this weekend.”
Moreover, Brnabić asked for Djokovic to be treated fairly and for his rights to be respected. She also asked the Australian PM to be in direct contact for information exchange between both governments in the coming days.
The call comes after Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić accused the Australian government of harassment last week. Vučić said, “I told our Novak that the whole of Serbia is with him and that our bodies are doing everything to see that the harassment of the world’s best tennis player is brought to an end immediately.” Likewise, Brnabić also extended her support to the tennis champion and committed to providing all necessary guarantees in Australia for the upcoming Australian Open.
On Monday, Australia’s Federal Court called the government’s decision to cancel Djokovic’s visa “unreasonable” and asked for the immediate release of the player from immigration detention. The Australian Border Force detained Djokovic upon his arrival in Melbourne due to insufficient evidence to prove his medical exemption against COVID-19 vaccination that the Australian government had granted earlier. On Friday, Djokovic had filed a formal complaint against the government’s decision to revoke his visa.
However, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs Alex Hawke is considering cancelling Djokovic’s visa for a second time over his non-vaccinated status. On Monday night, the Minister’s spokesperson said, “The Minister is currently considering the matter, and the process remains ongoing.”
All eyes are on Immigration Minister Alex Hawke today - he has a discretionary personal power to revoke Novak Djokovic's visa and have him deported. His office said last night he's still considering, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens next.
— Karen Sweeney (@karenlsweeney) January 10, 2022
Commenting on Djokovic’s possible visa cancellation, Liberal MP John Alexander said the Immigration Minister’s discretion to cancel visas should be reserved for those who pose a serious risk to public safety, and that Djokovic, who is unvaccinated, did not appear to pose a serious threat to Australia’s public.
In disagreement, Liberal MP Julian Simmonds argued that Djokovic’s visa should be cancelled again as he remained unvaccinated. “Certainly, I would be in favour of the visa being cancelled as a member of the Australian parliament because that would show Australians there is one rule for everybody and there isn’t room for hypocrisy if you’re a famous celebrity or sportsman,” he said.