SYDNEY, Australia—The participation of Novak Djokovic, men’s tennis World No. 1, in the Australian Open could be decided Sunday afternoon, a panel of three federal judges have said as they adjourned to decide whether to reinstate Djokovic’s Australian visa after almost five hours of hearing arguments. Chief Justice James Allsop said that the court hoped to deliver…

The Australian government has said that while Novak Djokovic poses a “negligible” risk of spreading COVID-19, his mere presence could stoke “anti-vaccination sentiment,” court documents reveal. Djokovic’s lawyers, meanwhile, have argued that the case against the tennis star was “illogical” and that Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s reasoning was affected by the jurisdictional error identified last…

Australian Open organisers have pressed ahead and included top seed Novak Djokovic in the draw, despite Djokovic still facing the prospect of deportation. After the draw in Melbourne was abruptly postponed by more than an hour without explanation, it was announced that Djokovic would be playing fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic in the opening round. Despite a…

Commentary As predicted, the fallout from the Novak Djokovic debacle is already haunting the federal government. Ellen Ransley, in an article published by News.com.au, reported on Jan. 11 that several politicians urged the prime minister to clean up the Djokovic visa mess. It argued that the reputation of the government and the Australian Open had…

Commentary If we cut to the chase, the only legitimate interest the Australian, or indeed the Victorian government, have in the otherwise legitimate visit of tennis star Novak Djokovic is whether there is any risk of his infecting anyone in Australia with the Wuhan virus, also known as COVID-19. The same principle applies, with greater…

The Australian government has introduced two permanent residence visas for Hong Kong citizens amid concerns over Beijing’s controversial national security law in Hong Kong. It is estimated that about 8,800 existing temporary skilled, temporary graduate, and student visa holders will be eligible for these new visas from March 5, 2022. The subclass 191–the Hong Kong…

Foreign veterinarians will be fast-tracked into Australia amid a shortage of vets that the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened. Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke confirmed on Saturday that vets would be added to the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List, which will allow them to enter Australia. At least 800 more veterinarians are needed nationwide to fill…

The federal government announced it would support Australia’s tourism and hospitality industry by offering visa flexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic. The existing work hour limits for student visa holders— currently at 40 hours fortnightly—will be lifted for those employed in the tourism and hospitality industry. There are currently about 350,000 student visa holders in Australia….