…I respect the court ruling – Djokovic
Tennis star, Novak Djokovic has lost his visa appeal and would be deported from Australia.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Djokovic had his visa revoked for the second time in the week, but appealed the decision of immigration in a court.
However, the court has upheld the decision of Immigration minister, Alex Hawke, and the tennis star would now be deported from the country.
Welcoming the court’s ruling, Hawke in a statement stressed that Australia’s strong border protection policies have kept the country safe during the pandemic.
Hawke wrote: “I welcome today’s unanimous decision by the Full Federal Court of Australia, upholding my decision to exercise my power under the Migration Act to cancel Mr Novak Djokovic’s visa in the public interest.
“Australia’s strong border protection policies have kept us safe during the pandemic, resulting in one of the lowest death rates, strongest economic recoveries, and highest vaccination rates in the world. Strong border protection policies are also fundamental to safe-guarding Australia’s social cohesion which continues to strengthen despite the pandemic.
“Australians have made great sacrifices to get to this point and the Morrison Government is firmly committed to protecting this position, as the Australian people expect.
“To date around 43 million vaccination doses have been administered in Australia and more than 91.6% of Australians aged 16 years and over are fully vaccinated.
“Accordingly, Australia has been able to commence a step-by-step, safe reopening of its international border as a result of this successful vaccination program.
I respect the court ruling – Djokovic
Meanwhile, Djokovic has said he respects the court ruling, thanking his family, friends, team, supporters, fans and fellow Serbians for their support
Here is Novak Djokovic’s full statement, just released:
I would like to make a brief statement to address the outcomes of today’s Court hearing. I will now be taking some time to rest and to recuperate, before making any further comments beyond this.
I am extremely disappointed with the Court ruling to dismiss my application for judicial review of the Minister’s decision to cancel my visa, which means I cannot stay in Australia and participate in the Australian Open.
I respect the Court’s ruling and I will cooperate with the relevant authorities in relation to my departure from the country.
I am uncomfortable that the focus of the past weeks has been on me and I hope that we can all now focus on the game and tournament I love. I would like to wish the players, tournament officials, staff, volunteers and fans all the best for the tournament.
Finally, I would like to thank my family, friends, team, supporters, fans and my fellow Serbians for your continued support. You have all been a great source of strength to me.
TNG reports the 34-year-old men’s tennis number one was scheduled to play in the Australian Open, which begins on Monday.