There are no real winners from the federal court approving the right of the Immigration Minister to deport Novak Djokovic.
Kicking out Djokovic is undoubtedly popular. A survey for Nine’s The-Sun Herald and Sunday Ageshows 71 per cent of Australians think he should not remain.
The Full Federal Court of Chief Justice James Allsop, Justice Anthony Besanko and Justice David O’Callaghan heard arguments about whether Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s use of discretionary powers to cancel the tennis champion’s visa should be upheld. The judges unanimously then ruled against Djokovic’s application, with the men’s world No.1 tennis player to be deported from Australia.
So, the key question remains - and has anyone asked- what role does or should a national sporting organisation have when dealing with international athletes, borders and government regulators?