MELBOURNE: The Australian government had not given tennis star Novak Djokovic an assurance that a medical exemption that he said he had to enter Australia without a COVID-19 vaccination would be accepted, government lawyers said in a court filing on Sunday .
But instead of training, the Serbian player has been confined in a hotel used for asylum seekers and is challenging the decision to cancel his visa after being stopped on arrival at Melbourne Airport early on Thursday. Djokovic's legal team said he had the necessary permissions to enter Australia, including an assessment from the Department of Home Affairs that responses on his travel declaration form indicated he met the conditions for quarantine-free arrival. The government disputed this.
The government also challenged Djokovic's claim for a medical exemption on the basis he had contracted COVID-19 and had recovered two weeks later. Djokovic's lawyers will have up to two hours to present their case from 10am on Monday, while the government department gets two hours to present its defence from 3pm. The case is being heard by the Federal Circuit and Family Court.Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said in his first media interview since the furore began that his organisation had spoken with federal and state officials for months to ensure the safe passage of players.
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham, asked about the matter on Channel 9 television, said without referring directly to Djokovic that"there's a clear difference between visas and entry requirements" and"entry requirements ... sit over and above the visa conditions".