Djokovic

[Tins]

Seems some were a little fast to judge. The appeal was successful, the cancelling of his visa deemed "unreasonable", and the Department has to pay all costs.

Personally I don't care about a tennis player even a little, but I'm glad there was justice. Trial by social media is not how this country used to operate.

[101RRS]

I have had a lot to do with Customs (now Border Force) over my working life and they are a joke. Someone decided within BF that they did not like Djokovic and pulled his visa. Now under the rules he should never have been granted a visa in the first place as he did not provide evidence of an exemption when the Visa was issued back in Nov. Circumstances later changed but Immigration did not require to see his exemption at the time.

The whole process was a comedy of incompetence and the judge soon saw through BF and really it should have been Immigration doing this not BF.

[Bulletman]

Seems some were a little fast to judge. The appeal was successful, the cancelling of his visa deemed "unreasonable", and the Department has to pay all costs.

Personally I don't care about a tennis player even a little, but I'm glad there was justice. Trial by social media is not how this country used to operate.

He should never have been allowed to get on the plane here, makes an absolute mockery of vax mandates and people who have lost their jobs because they weren’t or refused to vax.

In my eyes it just goes to show the rich and famous seem to come under different rules than the average joe.

I work with a bloke whose family can’t come here because they aren’t vaxed but yet novax seems to be able too.

I can only wonder now if the female player they deported under the same rule will now sue the Aussie tax payer for damages..

Bulletman

[Tins]

Everybody is entitled to their opinions, which is how it should be. However, it is the court system that decides, which is also how it should be, This time, the Court has decided it doesn't agree with social media. IMO, that is definitely how it should be. The court of public opinion is nothing short of a lynch mob.

Whether he should have been granted a visa is for the authorities to fight over, but he complied with all of the Victorian requirements, And Vic has been the most militant of all the States. Djokovic was fine here. He had "had Covid in the last 6 months", had a PCR test to prove it. That got him an exemption here.

I find it odd that the Feds have never once sought to override a State over anything Covid related until now.

I don't want any more warnings so I'll shut up now, except to say, we have Courts for a reason, whether you agree with them or not. One day you'll need the system, so it's best not to break it.

[101RRS]

The Court system did exactly what it should have done - assessed the evidence and made a decision - in my view the correct one for the circumstances. However the Joker should not have been given a visa in the first place as he did not meet requirements but then things changed and if he had applied for a Visa after he got Covid he would have been perfectly ok for it to be granted - the court considered whether after the Visa had been granted whether it should have been cancelled and on this aspect they got it right.

[Tins]

but then things changed and if he had applied for a Visa after he got Covid he would have been perfectly ok for it to be granted - the court considered whether after the Visa had been granted whether it should have been cancelled and on this aspect they got it right.

Various Governments have been quite happy to alter laws retrospectively. So perhaps they have little grounds for complaint here. Kinda a reverse ab initio.

IMO it's time they got their houses in order legally, and stop chasing cheap votes, ALL of them. Separation of Powers has worked here, unless the Minister intervenes. With an Election probably a few weeks away I'll bet he's a little nervous. So he should be.

Darn, I was going to shut up....

[AK83]

He should never have been allowed to get on the plane here, makes an absolute mockery of vax mandates and people who have lost their jobs because they weren’t or refused to vax.

In my eyes it just goes to show the rich and famous seem to come under different rules than the average joe.

....

Whilst I do agree, and I'm an ardent anti-anti vaxxer! [biggrin] .. there are rules within the system to allow exceptions.
And as long as an 'impartial' referee has seen it this way(his exemption was allowable) .. I see nothing wrong with it.

Still bad form from Djokovic tho .. as a person that many look up too .. he really should do the right thing and get vaxxed.

Good to see the Federal Circuit 'beating up' the government here! [biggrin]
Hope they keep it up.

[3toes]

A visa had previously allowed the holder to arrive at immigration where the final say on ya or nay was made. It did not guarantee entry to the country. What is not being pointed out that this is potentially a change in the rules as the judge is saying anyone with a visa has right of entry and you cannot say no. This is a radical shift from what is in place around the world not just Australia

[JDNSW]

Perhaps worth pointing out that the court decided that he was not allowed due process - it did not decide on whether he should have had the visa cancelled, simply that the process followed did not follow the law. Nothing to do with whether they should agree with social media or not.

From what I have been able to find, the grounds for exemption do not hold water for the visa category, so he should have been simply refused entry - but allowed an opportunity to argue his case. His visa was cancelled at 0725 after he had been told he had until after start of business so he could talk to his lawyers.

But there are two problems at least - the immigration rules refer to the Australian Immunisation Register definitions, but apparently do not use the same words to mean the same thing, and there is little doubt that Djokovic was deliberately gaming the system to avoid the clear and unequivocal intention of the entry requirement that incoming passengers be either vaccinated or medically unable to be vaccinated. Prior infection is not a replacement for vaccination and is only a temporary excuse to delay vaccination. And apparently is not available as a medical exemption for a 408 visa since it is an allowed delay, not an exemption.

[RHS58]

Perhaps worth pointing out that the court decided that he was not allowed due process - it did not decide on whether he should have had the visa cancelled, simply that the process followed did not follow the law. Nothing to do with whether they should agree with social media or not.

From what I have been able to find, the grounds for exemption do not hold water for the visa category, so he should have been simply refused entry - but allowed an opportunity to argue his case. His visa was cancelled at 0725 after he had been told he had until after start of business so he could talk to his lawyers.

But there are two problems at least - the immigration rules refer to the Australian Immunisation Register definitions, but apparently do not use the same words to mean the same thing, and there is little doubt that Djokovic was deliberately gaming the system to avoid the clear and unequivocal intention of the entry requirement that incoming passengers be either vaccinated or medically unable to be vaccinated. Prior infection is not a replacement for vaccination and is only a temporary excuse to delay vaccination. And apparently is not available as a medical exemption for a 408 visa since it is an allowed delay, not an exemption.

Exactly as I see it.
Excellent summary.
In addition, I think Tennis Aust and perhaps the Vic Govt were with him in gaming the system.

Furthermore, how does he explain away the fact that while he is supposedly PCR positive and probably infectious, he’s having photos taken cosying up maskless with a bunch of maskless kids.
I wonder if the positive PCR test even came out of his nose, but maybe somebody else’s?

[JDNSW]

I have reealised I said "Australian Immigration Register" when I should have said "Australian Immunisation Register". I have corrected this, but the quote is incorrect.

And as pointed out, in view of the fact that the whole approach by Djokovic has been to game the system, the validity of the test would certainly be suspect. But his overall attitude to the pandemic in general is certainly consistent with socialising unmasked while infectious, so I'm not sure whether that is useful as to whether or not he was infected.

[jonesfam]

"Should He Stay or He Go?"
Curtesy of the Clash.

[AK83]

.....

And as pointed out, in view of the fact that the whole approach by Djokovic has been to game the system, the validity of the test would certainly be suspect. ....

if you knew half of what the Immigration Department required of a VISA applicant, it appears that the only way to get easier approval for one(specific type in my situation) is that they expect you to 'game the system'.

It's ludicrous!

My partner and I are going through this process now:
So as to not to be seen to be 'gaming the system' we didn't do many of the things may have appeared to be so blatantly obvious that we would have been trying too.

Now upon using an immigration law firm, they explained to us that in not doing these things, our application doesn't seem genuine!
Makes absolutely no sense(to me at least).

You need to be seen to be doing something, doesn't matter how blatantly obvious it looks like gaming the system .. or you get rejected.

So with the benefit of hindsight now in having dealings with immigration .. Djokovic has really done nothing wrong in how he managed his entry VISA .. it's what is expected.

If you have never had these more complicated dealings with Immi, you can't fathom how the system works. [bighmmm]

[travelrover]

if you knew half of what the Immigration Department required of a VISA applicant, it appears that the only way to get easier approval for one(specific type in my situation) is that they expect you to 'game the system'.

It's ludicrous!

My partner and I are going through this process now:
So as to not to be seen to be 'gaming the system' we didn't do many of the things may have appeared to be so blatantly obvious that we would have been trying too.

Now upon using an immigration law firm, they explained to us that in not doing these things, our application doesn't seem genuine!
Makes absolutely no sense(to me at least).

You need to be seen to be doing something, doesn't matter how blatantly obvious it looks like gaming the system .. or you get rejected.

So with the benefit of hindsight now in having dealings with immigration .. Djokovic has really done nothing wrong in how he managed his entry VISA .. it's what is expected.

If you have never had these more complicated dealings with Immi, you can't fathom how the system works. [bighmmm]

Yes like you Ak83 we have just completed 8 years and some $20k plus going through this completely ludicrous situation, where the rules are changed on you retrospectively and you are not advised of the changes. It is beyond a joke and causes great personal distress, you are treated as a criminal if you can’t provide some documents. Had it not been for the immigration layers we used there would have been no way we could navigate the ‘process’. I’m sure there are teams of faceless people engage behind the scenes in immigration who’s entire role is to make things as difficult as possible!

[AK83]

Yes like you Ak83 we have just completed 8 years and some $20k plus going through this completely ludicrous situation, where the rules are changed on you retrospectively and you are not advised of the changes. It is beyond a joke and causes great personal distress, you are treated as a criminal if you can’t provide some documents. Had it not been for the immigration layers we used there would have been no way we could navigate the ‘process’. I’m sure there are teams of faceless people engage behind the scenes in immigration who’s entire role is to make things as difficult as possible!

LOL! ... we initially had some issues, due to the huge sticking point that we were not together for the required period before our application. Fair enough .. as they say rules are rules, and we abide by them.
Refused!
I wrote a letter to argue our point, and as we met just prior to pandemic, so our relationship evolved during the pandemic .. it was a time of much uncertainty and doubt. We're still together >2yrs later.
Anyhow, we received a reply, implying all good, continue and provide a lot of paperwork .. awesome sounded like we were going somewhere.

We had to wait a short time for some police check paperwork which as expected came back all clear .. but one week prior to submitting the police check, we had a message explaining that it was refused again as they felt we were not in a relationship!!

What??!! .. Why?
Because we hadn't gamed the system and provided 'proof' that we were together for this time.
Two stat decs from my mate and brother wasn't proof enough that I and partner were not in a relationship!
Why make us go through all this process(madly rushed a day or so after lockdown started to end).
What they wanted was any bogus photos of us together. They assume that couples always take selfie photos of themselves at every opportunity.
Yes, photos do get taken on 'occasions' .. such as parties, outings, etc.
During the last two years when Vic had been pretty much under lockdown, or threat of lockdown .. and SNAP lockdowns at that .. what freaking 'occasions' did they expect we were indulging in.

These morons simply have no idea what the real world is like.

For basically 9 months, we were stuck at home without any possibility to do anything or go anywhere. we did stuff when allowed, and it was so random and spur of the moment, it was basically just the two of us. Any plans to have get togethers with friends/family always had the consequence that lockdown was only a snap decision away.
(ps. a work mate planned and cancelled a wedding ceremony 5 times during the pandemic period).

We have photos together, not a lot, but some. For immi .. not enough so it seemed.
Where the 'gaming' comes into it .. and I seriously never thought this would ever be possible.
I invited my partner to come and live with me. I've owned my house now for over 20 years, all bills in my name for this time, even during prior marriage. Ex had some bills, but most were in my name. I've been on my own for a good 14+ years now .. so again all bills in my name.
What immi had issue with was that my partner and I had no bills in 'our' name! The most preposterous reason possible. Remember I invited her to come and live with me(she resisted till the very last moment) mid you during the hardest part of lockdown in 2020 too. I didn't invite her to live with me to 'pay my bills' it's my house onus is on me .. etc.

For immi tho, not good enough.

So this is how the gaming comes into it.

To note: this is not just my 'theory' of why my partners VISA was refused, it's the reasoning given to us, in writing, via the message from Immi!

If we had 'planned' it all, we would have created pseudo joint accounts in many aspects of every day life. Do all this bogus crap, and doesn't matter if you are partners or not .. have some bogus pics together, and some random bills together .. and they think you are partners!
It's this simple! Don't go into it with an 'Honest John' approach! They want you to game the system to get a VISA approved!
Al of this was confirmed to us by the law firm we have gone too to get the appeal done now.

It's just crazy.

[BradC]

We didn’t game the system, but we were advised by immigration when we applied for my (now) wife’s defacto spouse visa of what they’d like to see. One of those things was a joint bank account, so we opened one. Spent 6 months putting together a full lever-arch file of all the things they wanted and submitted the application and went fo the interview. “Don’t call us, we’ll call you sometime in the next 9 months”. 3 business days later we had the visa. Knock me down with a feather.

Musta been lucky I guess.

[travelrover]

Oh yes it’s coming back to me now, we had the issue with no shared bills, nothing with her name at my home of 25 years too. Bank statement sorted that and joint accounts which we have never use. police checks in multiple territories cos we had lived in a number of countries in the preceding 10 years. Depending where you are coming from getting access to legit government issued documents can be very challenging and expensive requiring DAYS of queuing or paying someone to queue if you are out of the country to get these issued. And the endless requirements for photos…. As you say they have no idea how the real world lives!
But if you really want to stuff up the process get married in the middle of it. Clock goes to zero! WTF, we specifically asked this and was told no problem, yeah right! Levels of incompetence and stupidity

[jonesfam]

Really? It cost $20K just to get a visa to live in Australia?
Some folk must really want to be here.

As for photos together & joint bills etc, SWMBO & I have been married for 39 years & have about 4 photos of the 2 of us, funnily, because one of us is usually taking said photo. Our daughter may have more?
As for the bills side of stuff almost all our personal bills are in my name only, SWMBO just doesn't see the need to do that jointly, though we do have joint home loans & bank accounts.
Just seems silly.
Jonesfam
PS aA little while ago I had to get 100 points of identity, that was a struggle.

[travelrover]

We didn’t game the system, but we were advised by immigration when we applied for my (now) wife’s defacto spouse visa of what they’d like to see. One of those things was a joint bank account, so we opened one. Spent 6 months putting together a full lever-arch file of all the things they wanted and submitted the application and went fo the interview. “Don’t call us, we’ll call you sometime in the next 9 months”. 3 business days later we had the visa. Knock me down with a feather.

Musta been lucky I guess.

Yeah I would say you are very lucky!

[AK83]

Another issue I have:

I don't do selfies.
Of the 176,000 photos on my hard drives(about 1.5Tb of photos) .. I think I have 4 photos of myself. All taken by others.

I uploaded all the photos of my partner that I've taken over the past 2 years, to the law firms storage provided to us .. 64 Gb of jpgs! 900 jpg files.
This is to 'prove' that we have traveled to many places together, that I have photos of my partner .. She is an absolute doll, and very photogenic.
I'm a boofhead, ugly as sin, and usually crack very expensive lens glass, by way of comparison.

I explained this to the lawyers, and they seem to understand my issue.
But given the current almost maniacal need by social media types to get selfies of oneself on a minute by minute basis .. I don't think Immi gets it ... not everyone is hell bent on capturing petabytes of selfies.

Instructions from lawyers was to try to capture more selfies from now on(back in early Dec). .. ie. 'game the system'.

note here tho .. with my use of the term gaming the system .. I mean in my own situation .. literally go against my natural behaviour .. I don't do selfies .. but now I kind of 'have too' to get this VISA approved.

What of the legal stuff we both did?
What weight does two statutory declarations carry, versus meaningless 'selfies'?

It's just a totally stupid immigration system.

Point is, the comments about Djokovic gaming the system, is easy to see it that way from an outsiders perspective .. but once you've had to deal with immi .. you understand it's not gaming .. it's what's expected from the applicant. Don't judge so easily.

[travelrover]

Really? It cost $20K just to get a visa to live in Australia?
Some folk must really want to be here.

As for photos together & joint bills etc, SWMBO & I have been married for 39 years & have about 4 photos of the 2 of us, funnily, because one of us is usually taking said photo. Our daughter may have more?
As for the bills side of stuff almost all our personal bills are in my name only, SWMBO just doesn't see the need to do that jointly, though we do have joint home loans & bank accounts.
Just seems silly.
Jonesfam
PS aA little while ago I had to get 100 points of identity, that was a struggle.

The actual cost of the visas and citizenship was only a few thousand it was gathering all the ancillary requirements, postage, fees for foreign police checks, fees for original documents, and the mass of other days they required. The original document we need to populate on the Immi site was 35 pages long! The wanted names and address of all your siblings and parents living or deceased. Original birth certificates for the parents…. Blah blah! Many people just do not have these things or the resources to get them!

Similar to the citizens test which my wife recently passed, I bet very few of those born in Australia could answer many of those questions!

[JDNSW]

These examples do not seem to be relevant to the case in question. In this case we have a foreign national who does not meet the normal requirements for the temporary work visa he wants, which requires vaccination, which he does not want to get. He has been granted a visa using a type of exemption that does not apply to that class of visa, on arrival his proof of that exemption is compared to the rules for the visa, and the visa was cancelled as the exemption is not valid for that visa. The court has reversed that decision on the grounds of failure to follow proper procedures.

This is a very different situation to applying for residency.

[DeanoH]

In 1986 the then Treasurer (later Prime Minister) Paul Keating observed that Australia was at risk of becoming a 'banana republic', how prescient of him. This latest fiasco playing out on the international stage is enough to make one think Paul Keating was a man before his time. Closely following on the heels of Australia's incompetently handled 'nuclear submarine' international embarrassment one has to wonder.

Firstly I wonder if Australia actually has a foreign minister or for that matter an Immigration Minister. It seems both are 'Missing In Action' leaving the current Prime Minister to 'have a crack' and make a fool of himself on the International stage (again).

It wasn't all that long ago that 'The Balkans', (including Serbia) was considered a conglomeration of 'banana republics' enduring centuries long internecine hatreds and destruction and with no clear ability or will to rise above it. Perhaps Serbia has finally matured and in doing so has passed the 'banana republic' mantle to us Aussies ?

IMO there is no doubt that a rich and influential foreign celebrity has 'pulled a fast one' on Australia but it's us Aussies at fault for allowing it to happen. Mr Djokovic and his liars, err..... lawyers, will be laughing all the way to the bank.

It's enough to make you throw up ...................................

Deano :(

[Homestar]

Really? It cost $20K just to get a visa to live in Australia?
Some folk must really want to be here.

As for photos together & joint bills etc, SWMBO & I have been married for 39 years & have about 4 photos of the 2 of us, funnily, because one of us is usually taking said photo. Our daughter may have more?
As for the bills side of stuff almost all our personal bills are in my name only, SWMBO just doesn't see the need to do that jointly, though we do have joint home loans & bank accounts.
Just seems silly.
Jonesfam
PS aA little while ago I had to get 100 points of identity, that was a struggle.

I've lived in Australia for 44 years but I'm struggling to get Citizenship due to not being able to prove who I am. Despite 30 years of tax history, Visas, Permanent residency certificates, etc I have yet to meet the criteria for proof of who I am so I just stopped trying. Given that some of the info they want is only available from a deceased person (my Father) short of getting the Ouija Board out I'm sort of stumped. They've asked for his Passport - which I supplied and got 'That's not valid'- 'I know that, he's dead'. 'Can you put him on the phone so we can chat with him'... It's a real life episode of Utopia - except for the 40 minute wait times each time I have to call them to inch the application forward. The problem is the system - it only recognise data from 1981 onwards when they started digitising records. My proof is all from before that and due to Covid you can't get an in person appointments to sort through it, so it's basically stiff bickies - no real drama for me - I can continue of as a Pom like I have all my life, but at some point I'll give it another whirl when I have the internal strength and fortitude to pit myself against the system again.

[RANDLOVER]

We didn’t game the system, but we were advised by immigration when we applied for my (now) wife’s defacto spouse visa of what they’d like to see. One of those things was a joint bank account, so we opened one. Spent 6 months putting together a full lever-arch file of all the things they wanted and submitted the application and went fo the interview. “Don’t call us, we’ll call you sometime in the next 9 months”. 3 business days later we had the visa. Knock me down with a feather.

Musta been lucky I guess.

Lucky indeed, for my skilled visa app in Sth Africa it was 18 months from the don't call us, we'll call you interview!

[sashadidi]

Be interesting to measure his blood now for covid antibodies........

[AK83]

Really? It cost $20K just to get a visa to live in Australia?
.....

I think it depends on 'who you are'.

I know of other truck drivers that have more than $60K invested in trying to live a better life .. far from war torn regions!

But, if you were from a specific country(which shall remain nameless [wink11]) and have 'half a million to invest' in this country, which basically means adding to the current situation of housing price increases, your VISA is a forgone conclusion.
You get permanent residency in quick time!
Then you go of back to your preferred country of residency for 5 years, and live cheaply, while your investment sits idle and produces zero net advantage to the country!

So governments create stupid conditions like vacancy taxes, which get bypassed like they mean nothing .. and this then adds to the cost of housing by way of rental pressure. Less houses for rent -> higher rent prices!

More than 90% of city apartments are foreign owned, and 90% of them are most likely vacant. Oh and don't bother applying to lease one .. now that 'I know' .. I know it's futile.

What's been happening lately: been nameless applicants have been applying to rent an apartment in/near the city. More than once now .. applied for apartments at X dollars per week, and get rejected. Now tho, the application is in the system. Agent has it, owners have it. It's some silly online system where you apply with your details once and your details are then submitted to every spammer in the known universe!

So what happens is after rejection, and to maintain the illusion that these 'foreign investors' are actively trying to lease their 'investment' .. the apartment is advertised for lease again .. only X-10 dollars per week!

Why? Applicant gets rejected at X dollars per week, so both owners and agent know full well they have an ready and willing sucker to pay X dollars, but these generous philanthropic humanitarian types would prefer to remain generous and accept a lower rate of return from their investment .. no matter that the applicant twigged the memory of the agent [bighmmm] that they were willing to pay the higher amount.
If this happened just once, it'd make sense .. applicant is not suitable for some strange reason.
When it happens multiple times, applicant becomes suspicious of what's really going on behind the governments backs with respect to their stupid rules and regulations!

Now, those foreign investors wouldn't be attempting to subvert the laws of the land would they .. of course not!

Because I have a vested interest in seeing a couple of particular applicants, successfully lease an apartment in the city area .. I have been collating a list of the investments that these generous investor types own, for the purpose of somehow locating a government department that rewards these good Samaritans.

So no! It doesn't cost $20K for every foreigner to live in this country. For the well heeled, it costs a lot less over the long term.

[RANDLOVER]

IIRC the $500 000 applies from any country.

[Tins]

If anyone is interested in a factual account, then I suggest finding a channel called Discernable, and find this: How Novak Djokovic Defeated the Australian Government

I cannot provide a link for obvious reasons.

[Homestar]

I think it depends on 'who you are'.

I know of other truck drivers that have more than $60K invested in trying to live a better life .. far from war torn regions!

But, if you were from a specific country(which shall remain nameless [wink11]) and have 'half a million to invest' in this country, which basically means adding to the current situation of housing price increases, your VISA is a forgone conclusion.
You get permanent residency in quick time!
Then you go of back to your preferred country of residency for 5 years, and live cheaply, while your investment sits idle and produces zero net advantage to the country!

So governments create stupid conditions like vacancy taxes, which get bypassed like they mean nothing .. and this then adds to the cost of housing by way of rental pressure. Less houses for rent -> higher rent prices!

More than 90% of city apartments are foreign owned, and 90% of them are most likely vacant. Oh and don't bother applying to lease one .. now that 'I know' .. I know it's futile.

What's been happening lately: been nameless applicants have been applying to rent an apartment in/near the city. More than once now .. applied for apartments at X dollars per week, and get rejected. Now tho, the application is in the system. Agent has it, owners have it. It's some silly online system where you apply with your details once and your details are then submitted to every spammer in the known universe!

So what happens is after rejection, and to maintain the illusion that these 'foreign investors' are actively trying to lease their 'investment' .. the apartment is advertised for lease again .. only X-10 dollars per week!

Why? Applicant gets rejected at X dollars per week, so both owners and agent know full well they have an ready and willing sucker to pay X dollars, but these generous philanthropic humanitarian types would prefer to remain generous and accept a lower rate of return from their investment .. no matter that the applicant twigged the memory of the agent [bighmmm] that they were willing to pay the higher amount.
If this happened just once, it'd make sense .. applicant is not suitable for some strange reason.
When it happens multiple times, applicant becomes suspicious of what's really going on behind the governments backs with respect to their stupid rules and regulations!

Now, those foreign investors wouldn't be attempting to subvert the laws of the land would they .. of course not!

Because I have a vested interest in seeing a couple of particular applicants, successfully lease an apartment in the city area .. I have been collating a list of the investments that these generous investor types own, for the purpose of somehow locating a government department that rewards these good Samaritans.

So no! It doesn't cost $20K for every foreigner to live in this country. For the well heeled, it costs a lot less over the long term.

Sometimes it's easier just to leave a place empty rather than deal with ****wit tenants. Yes, you can be lucky and get good ones, but I know quite a few that have been burnt so prefer to leave their places empty now and watch them increase in value while they sit there empty.

[sashadidi]

If true......
Tennis star Novak Djoković claims that he tested positive for the coronavirus on Dec. 16. But the digital test result suggests otherwise. This and a suspected false statement could create new visa problems for the athlete in Australia.

The digital data suggests that the test results aren’t from Dec. 16 at all. In the digital results, there is a timestamp for 2:21 p.m. Serbian time on Dec. 26. Such timestamps are normally produced automatically by corona test systems, marking when individual tests are entered into the relevant database. That usually happens just a few minutes after the test result becomes available. Another possibility could be that the timestamps are generated when the tested person downloads the results from the server.

More here from der spegiel
Teetvis antigen levels simple....

Novak Djoković: Were the Results of His Positive PCR Test Manipulated? - DER SPIEGEL (https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/novak-djokovic-were-the-results-of-his-positive-pcr-test-manipulated-a-cf3e7344-e98f-4fc3-8bb3-7727d4795e97)

[RANDLOVER]

The ABC News website says the Immigration Minister has cancelled the visa. Immigration Minister Alex Hawke cancels Novak Djokovic's visa ahead of Australian Open - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-14/novak-djokovic-visa-cancellation-decision-immigration-minister/100748386) but this can be appealed.

[NavyDiver]

The ABC News website says the Immigration Minister has cancelled the visa. Immigration Minister Alex Hawke cancels Novak Djokovic's visa ahead of Australian Open - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-14/novak-djokovic-visa-cancellation-decision-immigration-minister/100748386) but this can be appealed.

Happy here- I could not have watched with out Boooing had he played [biggrin][biggrin] I would have felt to silly for words and not watched. Now I may be able to depending on the lawyers feast. Popcorn ready [thumbsupbig]

[windsock]

Is now a good time...?

https://c.tenor.com/WJz30X1vgi4AAAAS/novak-djokovic-racquet-smash.gif https://c.tenor.com/brw-0y8IMJgAAAAS/novak-djokovic-racquet-smash.gif https://c.tenor.com/weFq_S8CIQEAAAAS/novak-djokovic-racquet-smash.gif https://media1.giphy.com/media/fMzhBp1medVHV1ceOJ/200w.webp?cid=ecf05e47yxoy8kf5cjb22icpu7cmnx6jslba on2avs70tb2m&rid=200w.webp&ct=g

https://c.tenor.com/T97Tgu71IF8AAAAd/novak-djokovic-racquet-smash.gif

[Arapiles]

In 1986 the then Treasurer (later Prime Minister) Paul Keating observed that Australia was at risk of becoming a 'banana republic', how prescient of him. This latest fiasco playing out on the international stage is enough to make one think Paul Keating was a man before his time. Closely following on the heels of Australia's incompetently handled 'nuclear submarine' international embarrassment one has to wonder.

Firstly I wonder if Australia actually has a foreign minister or for that matter an Immigration Minister. It seems both are 'Missing In Action' leaving the current Prime Minister to 'have a crack' and make a fool of himself on the International stage (again).

........

Deano :(



It's interesting that quite a few of the comments in The Age (and no doubt in other news providers as well) refer to Australia being embarrassed or looking stupid. In point of fact the comments in, for example, The New York Times, have been overwhelmingly positive towards Australia - the general view is that Australia has done the right thing by cancelling Djokovic's visa and for requiring vaccination to enter our country. It appears that people in the USA are sick of their own anti-vax sportspeople and also think that too many rules are bent for people who are connected or famous.

But there's also another side to this - frankly, why should we care what others think? We should be doing what every other country in the world does and act in our own interests. To not do so is craven and smacks of the cultural cringe.

[Tote]

It's interesting that quite a few of the comments in The Age (and no doubt in other news providers as well) refer to Australia being embarrassed or looking stupid. In point of fact the comments in, for example, The New York Times, have been overwhelmingly positive towards Australia - the general view is that Australia has done the right thing by cancelling Djokovic's visa and for requiring vaccination to enter our country. It appears that people in the USA are sick of their own anti-vax sportspeople and also think that too many rules are bent for people who are connected or famous.

But there's also another side to this - frankly, why should we care what others think? We should be doing what every other country in the world does and act in our own interests. To not do so is craven and smacks of the cultural cringe.

And for those of us that have spent time overseas half of the world doesn't know where we are and the other half doesn't give a ****. I guess that it is part of our culture as a "new" country but the media certainly get clicks whenever they run a line that suggests that the rest of the world is saying we are doing something out of step.

Regards,
Tote

[BradC]

Gone for six and out unanimously, with costs. Let’s see if he appeals to the high court.

[chuck]

He has to get special leave to go to high court as there were 3 judges sitting today.

[ozscott]

He has to get special leave to go to high court as there were 3 judges sitting today.Yes he will be deported.

Cheers

[BradC]

His social media post I saw quoted indicated he’d cooperate and leave.

[NavyDiver]

His social media post I saw quoted indicated he’d cooperate and leave.

Game Set and Match is words he has heard before. Honestly enjoyed a game I saw him play years ago. The vax icon issue was a fault plus sadly. His tennis was cool. His thoughtless selfish and in my view dangerous actions to his and our friends, family and especially sick and frail in his and our community are a stretch to far for me. Happy he gets to pay for the costs as well. Mere mortals do not get three high court judges out on Sunday - That cost a lot. Unlike me working to day for free[thumbsupbig]




https://ctl.s6img.com/society6/img/ickvUg2MfhI_wa__9TPisPLb5Ig/w_700/prints/~artwork/s6-0065/a/26869306_1004343/~~/game-set-and-match-prints.jpg?wait=0&attempt=0

[Hoges]

What intrigued me about the judgement was the judges' veiled swipe at the competence of Djokovic's legal team. The judges said “These grounds focus on whether decision was for different reasons irrational or legally unreasonable. It is no part or function of the court to decide upon the merit or wisdom of the decision.”... Perhaps a legally trained member can comment, but it seems that they were being given a lesson on hows and whys of the Federal Court....(how embarrassing!) I wonder if they'll reduce their fees accordingly![bigwhistle]

[ozscott]

Game Set and Match is words he has heard before. Honestly enjoyed a game I saw him play years ago. The vax icon issue was a fault plus sadly. His tennis was cool. His thoughtless selfish and in my view dangerous actions to his and our friends, family and especially sick and frail in his and our community are a stretch to far for me. Happy he gets to pay for the costs as well. Mere mortals do not get three high court judges out on Sunday - That cost a lot. Unlike me working to day for free[thumbsupbig]




https://ctl.s6img.com/society6/img/ickvUg2MfhI_wa__9TPisPLb5Ig/w_700/prints/~artwork/s6-0065/a/26869306_1004343/~~/game-set-and-match-prints.jpg?wait=0&attempt=03 x Federal Court Judges (including Chief Justice Allsop).

Cheers

[Gav 110]

Makes you proud to be an Australian

With a government that embarrasses us all

Invite the bloke over, give him a visa, wait till he arrives, then send him home

What a joke[emoji850]

[Bulletman]

[QUOTE=Gav 110;3130738]Makes you proud to be an Australian

With a government that embarrasses us all

Invite the bloke over, give him a visa, wait till he arrives, then send him home

What a joke[emoji850][/QUOTE

I'm still proud to be an aussie. Dont see it as a joke at all, the court agreed with the government.

Funny how a few days ago the government got bagged because they lost his appeal with costs. Glad as a tax payer I'm not paying for 3 judges to sit on a sunday .

Bulletman

[Gav 110]

[QUOTE=Gav 110;3130738]Makes you proud to be an Australian

With a government that embarrasses us all

Invite the bloke over, give him a visa, wait till he arrives, then send him home

What a joke[emoji850][/QUOTE

I'm still proud to be an aussie. Dont see it as a joke at all, the court agreed with the government.

Funny how a few days ago the government got bagged because they lost his appeal with costs. Glad as a tax payer I'm not paying for 3 judges to sit on a sunday .

Bulletman

I’m proud to be an Australian
Not proud of the government

The government departments get together and set the rules, then when it doesn’t suit for whatever reason they change them and make them look like fools

Novak should have the right to seek compensation for the balls up

Gav

[Bulletman]

[QUOTE=Bulletman;3130742]

I’m proud to be an Australian
Not proud of the government

The government departments get together and set the rules, then when it doesn’t suit for whatever reason they change them and make them look like fools

Novak should have the right to seek compensation for the balls up

Gav

The good thing about living in a democracy is he has the right to do that thru the due process. If he does and he wins then so be it .
Funny how when the rules fall one way one side of the fence is happy , when they dont then the other side is.

I'm sure Novak has the money and the lawyers to do as you say but....

I for 1 am keen to see how many other countries now stand up to him and other sports / celebrities who dont comply with the rules now that this has happened.

Bulletman

[Gav 110]

[QUOTE=Gav 110;3130745]

The good thing about living in a democracy is he has the right to do that thru the due process. If he does and he wins then so be it .
Funny how when the rules fall one way one side of the fence is happy , when they dont then the other side is.

I'm sure Novak has the money and the lawyers to do as you say but....

I for 1 am keen to see how many other countries now stand up to him and other sports / celebrities who dont comply with the rules now that this has happened.

Bulletman

It’s not a game of who stands up to who and who doesn’t comply with the hypocritical rules
He applied for the visa, he was approved within the rules, arrived and when the powers above realised who he was, they found a loophole to reject his application after it was approved
It’s more about people’s opinions and how they can change the rules to suit their agenda

Gav

[Tins]

[QUOTE=Bulletman;3130747]

It’s not a game of who stands up to who and who doesn’t comply with the hypocritical rules
He applied for the visa, he was approved within the rules, arrived and when the powers above realised who he was, they found a loophole to reject his application after it was approved
It’s more about people’s opinions and how they can change the rules to suit their agenda

Gav

Gotta love those Ministerial powers. Got a feeling THEY will come home to roost. Canaries have more sense.

[Bulletman]

[QUOTE=Bulletman;3130747]

It’s not a game of who stands up to who and who doesn’t comply with the hypocritical rules
He applied for the visa, he was approved within the rules, arrived and when the powers above realised who he was, they found a loophole to reject his application after it was approved
It’s more about people’s opinions and how they can change the rules to suit their agenda

Gav

Of course it’s a game of who comply,s with the rules hypocritical or not. Read my original post in the beginning of this thread and I say he should not have been issued the visa to start with.

I didn’t think the courts were influenced by people’s opinions, and early in this thread when he won his appeal plenary were of the opinion the court approach was fair ruling... well guess what , the court ruled and he lost this time .

I have taken the government .. well actually the Australian fish management authority (AFMA) to the high court and I won my case, but I wasn’t awarded costs and it nearly broke me but I had the option to do that under the rules , no different to Djokovic, only I couldn’t afford to do it on on a normal work day let alone a Sunday.

Bulletman

[Gav 110]

[QUOTE=Gav 110;3130752]

Of course it’s a game of who comply,s with the rules hypocritical or not. Read my original post in the beginning of this thread and I say he should not have been issued the visa to start with.

I didn’t think the courts were influenced by people’s opinions, and early in this thread when he won his appeal plenary were of the opinion the court approach was fair ruling... well guess what , the court ruled and he lost this time .

I have taken the government .. well actually the Australian fish management authority (AFMA) to the high court and I won my case, but I wasn’t awarded costs and it nearly broke me but I had the option to do that under the rules , no different to Djokovic, only I couldn’t afford to do it on on a normal work day let alone a Sunday.

Bulletman

So I’m your opinion he shouldn’t have been given the visa in the first place
I’m not arguing with your opinion, even if my opinion is different, we are allowed to have differing opinions

My original quote wasn’t directed at your OPINION, is was a statement (my opinion) about how much of a fool this country makes us all (as Australians, the government is a representative of all Australians) look

The fact is, he WAS given approval to enter the country for the reason he stated on his application for the VISA
When he arrived and the government realised who he was and what his OPINIONS represent, all of a sudden your opinion doesn’t coincide with the political opinion so you a forced to fight for your rights☹️☹️☹️

Gav

[incisor]

it was proven and he eventually owned up to the fact, that the info provided by him to get the visa was false

so it was revoked

an injection or two would have saved an awful lot of bother and he wouldn't have been shown up to be dishonest in his dealings with the Australian government

my 2c

[BradC]

He applied for the visa, he was approved within the rules, arrived and

Then was found to have a visa with no provision for an exemption. He challenged it in court and the court decided his cancellation was invalid because due process wasn’t followed. Fair cop, the immigration people didn’t follow the correct procedure. He was then found to have made an incorrect declaration on the papers he filed, so he was on the wrong visa and had incorrectly specified some facts. He was then ejected for effectively “not being a fit and proper person”. Failed the character test.

Point is, had he been on the correct visa, this would have been a non-event. Had the correct procedure been followed his initial cancellation would have stood and he would have been turned back at the border (as plenty are). Had he not made “administrative errors” in his declaration he might have made it through, but when you are pointed out to have been “not entirely correct” in your declaration then you attract more unwanted attention from the likes of the minister.

He rolled the dice and lost. If his “management” had either applied for the correct visa, or had not made “administrative errors” filling out his legal declaration then we wouldn’t even be talking about it.

[Bulletman]

[QUOTE=Bulletman;3130756]

So I’m your opinion he shouldn’t have been given the visa in the first place
I’m not arguing with your opinion, even if my opinion is different, we are allowed to have differing opinions

My original quote wasn’t directed at your OPINION, is was a statement (my opinion) about how much of a fool this country makes us all (as Australians, the government is a representative of all Australians) look

The fact is, he WAS given approval to enter the country for the reason he stated on his application for the VISA
When he arrived and the government realised who he was and what his OPINIONS represent, all of a sudden your opinion doesn’t coincide with the political opinion so you a forced to fight for your rights☹️☹️☹️

Gav

Personally .. my opinion of course.. I don’t give 2 ****s about what other countries think of us or our government... at the end of the day the government are elected by the people , no matter what your political persuasions.
He used the system available to fight his first visa issue thru the courts and they ruled in his favour and the supporters jumped for joy and said how great it was he could go thru the process and win... well the same process his supporters loved ruled against him in the 2nd case 3-0 and low and behold it’s now a flawed system.. well **** me isn’t it funny how it’s now not so great...

Personally he should never have been allowed to get on a plane here based on the government rule of you needed to be vaccinated to come here, hell people weren’t allowed to come and see dying relatives under these rules yet somehow tennis Australia tells players they can come here under the herd mentality of covid...

Right or wrong the court has ruled so for me , I will never be ashamed to be an Aussie or ashamed of the government pushing the rules we have been told to live by.. you may not agree but I’m comfortable in where I live and the decisions made by the government in charge even tho I think it could have been handled better

Bulletman

[JDNSW]

My understanding is that he applied for the same visa as every other tennis player. The problem for him was that prior recent infection is not a valid vaccine exemption for this class of visa, which requires you to either be vaccinated or have a real medical reason not to.

The basic rule for entry to Australia is that you must be vaccinated against covid to enter Australia with exemption only for those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons. Some classes of visa allow a temporary exemption for a recent covid infection, but my understanding is that this applies only to those seeking long term entry, and vaccination is required after a specified period.

[Homestar]

[QUOTE=Bulletman;3130747]

It’s not a game of who stands up to who and who doesn’t comply with the hypocritical rules
He applied for the visa, he was approved within the rules, arrived and when the powers above realised who he was, they found a loophole to reject his application after it was approved
It’s more about people’s opinions and how they can change the rules to suit their agenda

Gav

Many people apply and are granted Visas then have them cancelled on arrival - usually due to non disclosure of certain things or lying on the application. Happens all the time - be it this government or any other.

[W&KO]

Makes you proud to be an Australian

With a government that embarrasses us all

Invite the bloke over, give him a visa, wait till he arrives, then send him home

What a joke[emoji850]

I’m not sure we invited him to come……

For starters his team would have haggled for appearance money, I pretty sure the big name get paid just to turn up.

Secondly he has $4.4M reason to turn up on his own accord…..

Thirdly his eyes are focus on retaining No. 1 ranking and edge ahead of the other two for most titles

Agree we bungled the initial issuing of the visa…..but all along the government has stood strong on the bad policy to enter AUS.

[V8Ian]

He lied to get the visa then thought his money could buy him out of compliance. The initial rejection was procedurally flawed, but the second effort had all the I s dotted and T s crossed. Good riddance Karen Djokovic.

[3toes]

People are turned away at the border by all countries all the time

Years ago a friend was going on a holiday to the USA. Was traveling on her own but joining on an organised trip from one of the global tourism players. Had saved up for a few years and were very excited. There was a party before she left and a card saying have a great trip

For reasons unknowns the card was in the suit case opened by USA border people on arrival. Who said card meant intended to stay not a tourist. So put her on next plane home no holiday, no right of appeal and Insurance does not cover either

[windsock]

In all the furore over his arrival, subsequent troubles and then departure, the complicity of TA organising committee, two medical panels and the ignoring of a federally authored letter seems to have been forgotten. A gaze inwards needs to be taken to find the ones who really tried to game the system for the benefit of their tournament. ND is not blameless but not the only one involved.

[Barraman]

[QUOTE=Gav 110;3130761]

Personally .. my opinion of course.. I don’t give 2 ****s about what other countries think of us or our government... at the end of the day the government are elected by the people , no matter what your political persuasions.
He used the system available to fight his first visa issue thru the courts and they ruled in his favour and the supporters jumped for joy and said how great it was he could go thru the process and win... well the same process his supporters loved ruled against him in the 2nd case 3-0 and low and behold it’s now a flawed system.. well **** me isn’t it funny how it’s now not so great...

Personally he should never have been allowed to get on a plane here based on the government rule of you needed to be vaccinated to come here, hell people weren’t allowed to come and see dying relatives under these rules yet somehow tennis Australia tells players they can come here under the herd mentality of covid...

Right or wrong the court has ruled so for me , I will never be ashamed to be an Aussie or ashamed of the government pushing the rules we have been told to live by.. you may not agree but I’m comfortable in where I live and the decisions made by the government in charge even tho I think it could have been handled better

Bulletman

x 2 !

[Gav 110]

Windsock has summed it up
The 2 medical panels appointed by Tennis Australia and the Victorian Government should have known to seek the final approval from the federal government

Novak Djokovic deported: Tennis Australia Craig Tiley slammed, told to resign | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site (https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/australian-open/australian-open-boss-craig-tiley-is-the-real-villain-in-novak-djokovic-mess/news-story/51427437c5dd1384e6b13de41a4366c6%3famp)

The outcome has created a worldwide media frenzy that points the finger at our federal government
Not just from overseas friends and family that I’ve spoken to over the past week

Australian Open 2022: John McEnroe blasts Novak Djokovic saga on live TV | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site (https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/australian-open/total-bs-tennis-legend-john-mcenroe-blasts-novak-djokovic-call-on-live-tv/news-story/15706f22ae5e26f7f8c75edd97a0c848%3famp)

Gav

[350RRC]

Windsock has summed it up
The 2 medical panels appointed by Tennis Australia and the Victorian Government should have known to seek the final approval from the federal government

Novak Djokovic deported: Tennis Australia Craig Tiley slammed, told to resign | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site (https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/australian-open/australian-open-boss-craig-tiley-is-the-real-villain-in-novak-djokovic-mess/news-story/51427437c5dd1384e6b13de41a4366c6%3famp)

The outcome has created a worldwide media frenzy that points the finger at our federal government
Not just from overseas friends and family that I’ve spoken to over the past week

Australian Open 2022: John McEnroe blasts Novak Djokovic saga on live TV | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site (https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/australian-open/total-bs-tennis-legend-john-mcenroe-blasts-novak-djokovic-call-on-live-tv/news-story/15706f22ae5e26f7f8c75edd97a0c848%3famp)

Gav

Gav, the final approval was given by the issuing of the visa by the feds, the two panels only looked at why he might be exempt under ATAGI (fed) guidelines.

If he was wrongly exempted from being vaxxed under those guidelines then fed processes should have picked it up before he was issued with a visa and got on a plane I would have thought.

DL

[Gav 110]

Gav, the final approval was given by the issuing of the visa by the feds, the two panels only looked at why he might be exempt under ATAGI (fed) guidelines.

If he was wrongly exempted from being vaxxed under those guidelines then fed processes should have picked it up before he was issued with a visa and got on a plane I would have thought.

DL

Thank DL

That’s where my original comments came from (also a few beers)

The feds SHOULD have picked up on this before the plane hit the sky, not when it hit the ground

His management should have been aware as well, but with so many fingers in the pie, who knows what was the thoughts before he bordered the plane, in my opinion, he should have been allowed to stay and play, I know that’s against everyone else’s opinion around here and maybe by other posts on other threads this one will get removed too

As from what I can ascertain from friends, medical exemptions are few and far between for some unknown reason?? so it’s no wonder he didn’t get one

I could put some other links in this post that aren’t “anti vaccine”, they more put a different spin on things, but it seems they are unwelcome in any way shape or form so I’ll leave it at that

Gav
[emoji850]

[Tins]

Has anyone actually read what the Feds were arguing in Court at the appeal? They weren't arguing that his vax status was a threat to Australians. No, they were arguing that his 'high profile' vax status was a threat to the message re our vax choices. In other words, dissent.
I don't know how to say this without offending our new overlords from Mountain View, CA. but that sucks.

[350RRC]

At the end of the day the real issue is how failings in the visa issuing process are going to be looked at and addressed, the whole vax thing is just a symptom that brought it to the fore.

DL

[Tins]

At the end of the day the real issue is how failings in the visa issuing process are going to be looked at and addressed, the whole vax thing is just a symptom that brought it to the fore.

DL

At the end of the day the real issue is how many of your supposed rights you have chosen to give up. At the end of the day the real issue is how pathetic our constitution actually is. It protects nothing. At the end of the day the real issue is how much influence the Big Tech mobs have over our lives. Even right here on AILRO.

[incisor]

At the end of the day the real issue is how many of your supposed rights you have chosen to give up. At the end of the day the real issue is how pathetic our constitution actually is. It protects nothing. At the end of the day the real issue is how much influence the Big Tech mobs have over our lives. Even right here on AILRO.
Actually the only reason Google gives a stuff is because the advertisers who use their platform don't want to see it, so allowing it hurts their bottom line, so they alter their guidelines accordingly, so at the end of the day it's the advertisers you need to be ****ed off with

Australia has never had a bill of rights and any rights you think you've lost were only ever implied by tort and therefore easily removed when politically expedient

No one hates being told what to do more than I do generally speaking but I've learnt over the years that getting twisted up in knots over things you can not control does you little good....

Wise man once told me

He who angers you controls you.....

[Vern]

Trying to think here, but i honestly can't think of any rights i have given up. [emoji848]

[BradC]

As long as I still have the right to remain silent, particularly when faced with "Do these jeans make my bum look big?".

[trout1105]

Why are we still talking about this tosser, He is long gone and good riddance. [bigwhistle]

[SPROVER]

Why are we still talking about this tosser, He is long gone and good riddance. [bigwhistle]For the exact same reason the covid thread is still going!

[trout1105]

For the exact same reason the covid thread is still going!

IF that is the case then this thread won't have much of a life span will it.

[SPROVER]

IF that is the case then this thread won't have much of a life span will it.Thank God for that...[emoji16][emoji16]

[trout1105]

Thank God for that...[emoji16][emoji16]
+1[thumbsupbig]

[windsock]

Why are we still talking about this tosser, He is long gone and good riddance. [bigwhistle]

He might be gone but there is still at least a couple of topic changes left in this thread... :whistling:

[V8Ian]

He might be gone but there is still at least a couple of topic changes left in this thread... :whistling:
Particularly for those fluent in French or Spanish. [bigwhistle]

[Tins]

+1[thumbsupbig]

Best way to kill a thread is to cease posting in it.

[Gav 110]

Best way to kill a thread is to cease posting in it.

You know it, I know it, everyone on here knows it, no one can resist such a controversial thread to get their opinions out there
That’s what keeps us coming back [emoji12][emoji12][emoji12][emoji12]

[emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481]🥃[emoji481][emoji481]🥃🥃[emoji481][emoji481][emoji481]🥃🥃🥃🥃[emoji95]

[Tins]

That’s what keeps us coming back

Not me. The Ministry of Truth has me beat.

[windsock]

https://memeguy.com/photos/images/things-i-hate-173263.jpg

:whistling:

[d2dave]

I say good riddance to the arrogant *****.

Just saw on the news that he might not be allowed to compete in the French open.

[vnx205]

Apparently the English Cricket Board has appointed him as a batting coach because it took Australia almost two weeks to get him out.

[superquag]

Apparently the English Cricket Board has appointed him as a batting coach because it took Australia almost two weeks to get him out.

Mis-information !

- he's picked for Opening Batsman... same reason...[bigwhistle][biggrin]

[Roverlord off road spares]

I say good riddance to the arrogant *****.

Just saw on the news that he might not be allowed to compete in the French open.
Spain too

[Arapiles]

It's interesting that quite a few of the comments in The Age (and no doubt in other news providers as well) refer to Australia being embarrassed or looking stupid. In point of fact the comments in, for example, The New York Times, have been overwhelmingly positive towards Australia - the general view is that Australia has done the right thing by cancelling Djokovic's visa and for requiring vaccination to enter our country. It appears that people in the USA are sick of their own anti-vax sportspeople and also think that too many rules are bent for people who are connected or famous.

But there's also another side to this - frankly, why should we care what others think? We should be doing what every other country in the world does and act in our own interests. To not do so is craven and smacks of the cultural cringe.


Just of interest ..... Sarah Palin (remember her?) was allowed to dine inside a New York restaurant the other night although she's (apparently) unvaccinated: NYC's rules say, no vax no dining inside. She then tested positive to COVID the day after her dinner, and then went back to the restaurant a couple of days later whilst supposed to be isolating. Neither she nor the restaurant - which is apparently popular with celebrities - have been fined or even approached by the authorities.

New York Times reader's responses were very critical and included this:


"Australians said NO to privileged, anti-vax celebrities flouting their COVID rules. New York should do the same and hold both Palin and Elio's responsible."

So much for embarrassing ourselves internationally .....

[chuck]

The media tonight reported he is going to get vaccinated.

Seems Nadal's prize money & 21 grand slams might have got to him