Prime Minister Scott Morrison has backed the decision to deny Novak Djokovic entry to Australia, saying ‘rules are rules’.
Djokovic travelled to Melbourne with ‘exemption permission’ on Wednesday to defend his Australian Open title.
However, he was stopped at the airport by Australian Border Force who decided to cancel his visa.
The world number one was taken to a nearby quarantine hospital with health minister Greg Hunt declaring he must now ‘leave the country,’ although reports from Serbia say Djokovic intends to appeal the decision in the courts.
That appeal, though, may be tough to push through after the Australian Prime Minister came out in support of preventing Djokovic from entering the country.
Mr Djokovic’s visa has been cancelled. Rules are rules, especially when it comes to our borders. No one is above these rules. Our strong border policies have been critical to Australia having one of the lowest death rates in the world from COVID, we are continuing to be vigilant.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) January 5, 2022
“Mr Djokovic’s visa has been cancelled,” Morrison tweeted. “Rules are rules, especially when it comes to our borders.
“No one is above these rules. Our strong border policies have been critical to Australia having one of the lowest death rates in the world from COVID, we are continuing to be vigilant.”
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