Topics: Departure from Australia of Mr Novak Djokovic.
TRISTAN MACMANUS: Joining us now from the Gold Coast is Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews. Minister, thanks for joining us today. The President of Serbia has accused the Australian Government of treating their tennis star like a mass murderer. That’s pretty shocking. How do you respond to that?
KAREN ANDREWS: Well, I disagree with that characterisation, but I do understand that the President of Serbia is under an obligation and will go out there and support Serbian citizens. That would be expected that he would do that, just like you would expect Australia’s Prime Minister to be out there speaking on behalf of Australia and Australians – taking the strong position that he has.
SARAH HARRIS: The problem is, Minister, even legal experts here have said that some of this was pretty heavy‑handed. Was the police guard necessary? Some legal experts say that the tennis world number one was treated like a terrorist.
KAREN ANDREWS: In terms of police protection, I think we need to put this into the perspective that there was clearly a lot of interest in the story. There was clearly a lot of activity, and the police protection that was put in place was also ensuring the safety of Mr Djokovic. So I think that it was an important part of the process because we needed to make sure he was kept safe while this process was, in fact, playing out. I think that’s actually a positive and that demonstrates support was given to keep Mr Djokovic safe from harm while he was here.
TRISTAN MACMANUS: I guess the big question is from a lot of people: How did it become so messy? I mean, why wasn’t there a clear rule stating that unvaccinated tennis players are not allowed into Australia?
KAREN ANDREWS: Well, there was a clear view from the Federal Government, which is that for entry to Australia, not only do you have to have a valid visa, you have to meet our entry requirements; and that includes proof of vaccination or acceptable proof that you cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, and that was what was the issue at the border. Now, Mr Djokovic was given time during the interview process to provide further information. He was unable to do that and that’s why the decision was taken by the Border Force delegate to cancel the visa at the airport. That wasn’t accepted by Mr Djokovic, and he instructed lawyers accordingly, which he is perfectly entitled to do, and we saw that play out in court.
SARAH HARRIS: What about the diplomatic fallout from this, Minister? Is Serbia, for example, likely to recall their ambassador like France did over the submarine debacle?
KAREN ANDREWS: As I said earlier, we would expect that there would be a response from Serbia, from the President, from officials in Serbia. They need to do that because Novak Djokovic is one of their citizens, so you would expect that to happen just like you would expect Scott Morrison to be supporting an Australian and all of Australia. I think what we’ve seen play out is entirely predictable, but I’m hoping that the strength of our relationship in the past puts us in good stead in the future and we can all move beyond this one particular incident and get back to the good relationships that we’ve had, not only with Serbia but with many other countries around the world.
SARAH HARRIS: Minister, is Novak Djokovic really a threat to civil order?
KAREN ANDREWS: The view that Minister Alex Hawke took in his decision was one that was based on health, safety and good order, public order. It was taken in the public interest. Minister Hawke could get as much as information as he needed, and that’s clearly what he did, to make that determination. In Australia we have incredibly high levels of vaccination – over 92 per cent of Australians are fully vaccinated. That’s an outstanding result and it is to the credit of all Australians who have done that. We have had a very low death rate through COVID, and we have had a very good economic recovery compared to many other nations. Now, some of the processes that we’ve put in place have led us to that point. So, clearly, as a Government, we are going to protect our borders and we are going to do what it takes to keep Australia and Australians safe.
SARAH HARRIS: Pretty embarrassing that we ended up here, isn’t it, that we’ve come to this point, 11 days world tennis number one, held the way he was? He was issued a visa when he got here so –
KAREN ANDREWS: Yes, but it’s a very separate process to get a visa and the reason that it is very separate and that vaccination is not a requirement of that is because visas can be issued and they may have a life of a couple of years, during which time entry requirements into Australia could well change. That’s why it is a two-part process. You need get your visa and you need to meet Australia’s entry requirements when you get here. Let’s not lose sight of the fact that this could have been absolutely avoided if Mr Djokovic was vaccinated.
TRISTAN MACMANUS: Why hasn’t the Government taken steps to remove anti‑vaxxers like George Christensen from the Coalition? Don’t you think it looks a bit hypocritical to kick Novak out of the country when you’ve got Christensen still in your ranks?
KAREN ANDREWS: We’re talking about a significant difference between Australian citizens and noncitizens trying to enter the country. There are processes in place to support Australian citizens and permanent residents who are returning from overseas into Australia; those are good processes; they are solid processes, and they are the right processes to make sure that people who are Australians can come into the country. It is entirely different scenario for someone who is a noncitizen seeking to enter the country because for starters they have to have a visa in the first place, and they have to meet our entry requirements – so it’s very different.
SARAH HARRIS: I understand that not meeting the entry requirements and I think most Australians can cop that, but I think perhaps sort of saying that he’s a threat to good order is what’s really made people go, “Oh?” Civil rights groups in particular, are concerned that this sets a pretty dangerous precedent. Are you concerned that by kicking Djokovic out of the country it might have the reverse effect and make him a hero, make him a martyr, to these anti‑vaxxer groups?
KAREN ANDREWS: Well, all of that was tested in the Federal Court yesterday and many Australians and, in fact people across the world, were able to view those proceedings live, and at the end of those submissions, after an adjournment, the Full Bench of the Federal Court upheld the decision of Minister Hawke. So, on that basis, Mr Djokovic left Australia.
SARAH HARRIS: Who will you be cheering for at the Open? As Home Affairs Minister you’ve got to back an Aussie.
KAREN ANDREWS: Oh, that’s going to get me into a lot of trouble! But I have thought about and it and I know.
TRISTAN MACMANUS: All right. Thank you so much for joining us today.
SARAH HARRIS: Thank you so much.
KAREN ANDREWS: It’s a pleasure. Take care.