What a shambles: a tangled net for Scott Morrison and Novak Djokovic
Jan 8, 2022The debacle surrounding the tennis ace is good media fodder. Chiefly, it shows that Morrison’s right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.
The Department of Home Affairs issued a visa for Novak Djokovic to come to Australia.But apparently the Department did not understand or know that Djokovic had a long standing and widely known opposition to vaccination for Covid. ‘Blind Freddie’ would know that.Surely if the Department knew it would not have issued a visa.
A visa is usually a reliable sign that the applicant can enter Australia. That is not necessarily so. Visas can be cancelled on arrival in Australia.
So when it came to the crunch in Melbourne Djokovic was refused entry by Border Force presumably for failing to abide by our public health requirements.
What a shambles with the Department of Home Affairs and Border Force not talking to each other.
Perhaps it is another illustration of how the Morrison Government is deskilling the Australian Public Service.
Former Deputy Secretary of the Department of Immigration Abul Rizvi examined the farce in The Sydney Morning Herald on Friday.
John Menadue was Secretary Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs 1980-83.