@AgentJohnson
He is either qualified for an exemption or did not. Australia has embarrassed itself by giving him an exemption and then terminating his visa upon arrival.
A lot of people keep posting as if there's one Australian government that has flip flopped on letting him in but this is not the case at all.
Australia is a federation structured much like the US is with state and federal governments that are distinct entities, act independently of each other, and have differing powers and areas of responsibility. They have undertaken differing roles during the pandemic.
Pretty much anything to do with the Open is handled by the government of the state of Victoria, however the Australian federal government is (obviously) in charge of border control and immigration.
Djokovic's exemption was approved by the government of the state of Victoria under a process negotiated between the state and Tennis Australia. The process involved an independent assessment by two separate panels of his evidence that he met the requirements for exemption from Victoria's requirements for vaccination. Exemptions are only granted in six circumstances (www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/11/atagi-expanded-guidance-on-temporary-medical-exemptions-for-covid-19-vaccines.pdf), one of which is infection with Covid in the last six months.
The exemption that was granted is to the vaccination requirements within the state of Victoria. This applies to entry to venues, including Melbourne Park.
Critically, the approval of the exemption was not:
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Clearance to enter the country
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An exemption from the requirements of his visa and the entry requirements of the federal government
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An indication that the Victorian government supported his participation in the Open.
The Australian federal government requires that all non-citizens entering the country be vaccinated. While the Victorian government through the independent assessment had cleared him for participation, Djokovic still needed to be assessed by the federal government in relation to his entry to the country.
Reports on exactly what happened are scattered, but I've read his entry to the country has been prevented on two points:
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That the visa he has tried to enter on does not allow for vaccine exemptions, and/or
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That the Border Force is disputing the validity of his stated exemption (which is allegedly evidence of prior infection).
From comments made by the Health Minister the issue was on the latter point.
Australia's current travel restrictions do allow for individual exemptions to the vaccine requirements to be granted to a foreign national whose entry would be in the national interest. This must be supported by the federal government or a state or territory government authority. Border Force reached out to the Victorian state government requesting confirmation of whether it would support Djokovic's entry into the country, and the Victorian government has confirmed it will not support his entry into the country. The federal government has also refused to support an individual exemption and his visa has been rejected.
How can the Victorian government turn around and reject him after approving his exemption?
While I have my own doubts about the independence of the assessment process, the process as outlined by Tennis Australia would mean the exemption was granted as an independent medical decision that the Victorian government (politically) had no hand in making. A process was set up, it was stated to be independent, Djokovic applied for an exemption, his evidence was assessed and he was deemed to meet the exemption requirements.
Whether Djokovic qualified for the exemption is an entirely different question to whether the Victorian government supported his participation in the tournament.
Support for his entry under national interest reasons is effectively the state government sticking their neck out and saying "Djokovic has particular value to our state which warrants us stepping in. We want him here." This is a different ask to an independent medical assessment based on set guidelines.
The Victorian government's position/rhetoric in the lead up to the Open has been pretty clear that they were not happy about the prospect of unvaccinated players/staff participating in the Open. I assume the independent assessment process was set up following heavy pressure from business interests (in particular the broadcaster of the Open). Actively supporting an unvaccinated player would be inconsistent with how the pandemic has been handled for the past two years. For reference, Melbourne underwent one of the longest cumulative lockdowns in the world.
Djokovic's... general aura around the vaccine issue, coupled with the controversy surrounding his demands during the 2021 Open, makes supporting him a massive political bomb for both the federal government and the state government. I guess the state government was hoping the independent panel would allow them to sidestep the issue, however the visa issues meant a decision had to be made.