I am special...

[SueEllen]

Some are more special than others....

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-...alia/100746080

Czech tennis player Renata Voráčová has been deported after her visa was cancelled by the Australian Border Force.

The 38-year-old flew out of Melbourne on a flight to Dubai on Saturday night.

Voráčová, who had already played in a warm-up tournament in Melbourne, was held in the same immigration hotel as Serbian star Novak Djokovic after she was detained by Australian Border Force (ABF) officials on Thursday.

She is believed to have entered Australia last month with a vaccine exemption granted by Tennis Australia because she had recently contracted and recovered from COVID-19.

However, like Djokovic, she was told her visa was cancelled for failing to meet the federal government's requirement that all incoming non-citizens be vaccinated against the virus.

"All travellers who enter Australia must do so in accordance with our strict laws and entry requirements, regardless of their status or their reasons for entering the country," an ABF spokesperson said.

"The ABF employ a multi-layered approach ... this includes avenues to investigate, locate and detain non-citizens who have been found, after their arrival into Australia, to have breached our border entry requirements."

Voráčová is the second Australian Open participant to leave the country.

Late on Friday, an ABF spokesperson told the ABC that the first "voluntarily departed Australia following ABF inquiries".

Sources told the ABC the person who left was a European tennis official, although this is yet to be formally confirmed by the federal government.

[SueEllen]

Only god (the immigration minster) can save him now.



https://www.theguardian.com/australi...ustralian-visa
Novak Djokovic will be immediately released from immigration detention in Australia, after the federal circuit court ordered a decision to cancel his visa be quashed.

But the Australian government’s counsel, Christopher Tran, has revealed the immigration minister will consider exercising a personal power to cancel Djokovic’s visa meaning he is not guaranteed to stay and compete in the Australian Open.

The decision now under consideration to cancel Djokovic’s visa anew would result in him being excluded from Australia for three years – significantly upping the stakes in a bizarre border row that threatens Djokovic’s quest to win the most grand slam singles titles of all time.

[saptastic]

Looks like a shambles in Australia immigration

[d000hg]

Farage has championed Djok's right to enter a sovereign nation despite the nation's wishes. Guess he hadn't been on TV enough recently, amusing to hear he's now against strict immigration.

Novax' first match should be an interesting spectacle. Football-style mass brawl at a tennis match - it is Australia wouldn't be that surprised.

[BigDataPro]

Gotta give it to them Aussies, they've got balls.

They used to...

[d000hg]

They used to...

Shall we talk about the cricket?

[BigDataPro]

Shall we talk about the cricket?

Of course! Joe Root's captaincy?

[oleanderwand]

Regardless his choice on vaccination (I chose to be double jabbed and boosted), I feel for him and everybody else in similar situation as him. Love him or hate him, according to the interview transcripts and other documents the court published on its website following the judge's decision, they invited him to the Open, he did everything they asked of him to comply with visa and exemption rules to enter the country and compete in the Open, was granted visa and exemption, turned up accordingly, but denied entry on arrival. The interview transcripts and the cancellation notice were most interesting - you could almost see what the officer(s) might think of him. My mate who followed the hearing said, they could have handled the situation better to make sure community and including him safe from Covid while he is participating in the Open without the circus. Not everybody has resources to challenge, he has and he did so and won, so hopefully something good for community and everybody can come out of it. Of course they still can cancel his visa again and ban him for three years...

[d000hg]

he did everything they asked of him to comply with visa and exemption rules

You mean catching Covid mid-December? If he hadn't, he would not have been allowed to enter.
I'm a bit unclear how this does give an exemption as I'm sure Oz officials said otherwise but that's by the by.

There's also the matter that the days directly after his positive PCR test - now on official record - he has made several public appearances. That could well be because he was waiting on a test result but could really cause a problem.

[oleanderwand]

Yes that the bottom line. What I gather from those documents, Tennis Australia has process for exemption, assessed by its own medical panel and re-assessed by panel from Victoria state which follows ATAGI guidance on exemption. What medical records he was asked of in addition of PCR test results are not clear, but the documents indicate that he sent off medical records including antibodies (I suppose that meant he sent blood sample) and PCR results which they then assessed to grant/not grant him exemption. He was granted exemption. He was also on the correct visa for his Open (temporary activity visa).

Re: his public appearance - that was also what my mate said, they could have handled the situation better. ABF has power and discretion to grant or deny entry on arrival regardless a person has correct paperworks. They could have imposed additional requirement on him i.e. mandatory daily test and reporting or other, if they were still not sure whether or not he would be a health risk regardless the exemption and if he wouldn't agree then they could cancel his visa. Cancelling his visa on arrival whatever the reason would have ended up in court anyway, but in this scenario they would have made their point beyond procedure and paperworks.