Australia live news updates: Novak Djokovic back in hotel detention after minister argues he is a ‘talisman’ for anti-vaccination sentiment
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Version 16 of 22. Follow live We are seeing an outline of the arguments in the Novak Djokovic case in the originating application from Djokovic. The argument from immigration minister Alex Hawke accepts that Djokovic’s recent Covid-19 infection is genuine (there were questions raised about its veracity in media reports) and that he presents a negligible health risk. But, the minister said, if allowed to stay, Djokovic could excite anti-vaccination sentiment: Djokovic’s case argues the minister took an “illogical/irrational/unreasonable approach to … the question of public interest” and his own exercise of ministerial discretion: For enthusiasts of tennis and federal courts – the latest documents in the Djokovic case are being placed on the public record here. Watch the serve and volley unfold. Two men are dead following separate stabbings in NSW, AAP reports: Refugee protesters are still picketing the Park Hotel in Carlton, drawing the comparison with Djokovic’s handful of days in immigration with the plight of refugees held there, some of whom have been held by Australia, in offshore and onshore detention, for nine years. Novak Djokovic is reportedly back in detention at Carlton’s Park Hotel. Nine newspapers reported a silver four-wheel drive and a white van departed the Melbourne CBD offices of Djokovic’s lawyers under police watch. Victoria police officers closed off a section of Flinders Lane about 2.45pm before the two vehicles exited the building in front of a pack of photographers and journalists. A man speaking on his mobile and covering his face with a cap could be spotted in the back seat of the four-wheel-drive which drove off towards William Street. Terribly sad news from one of the most prominent expert voices throughout the pandemic. Mary-Louise McLaws is a professor of epidemiology at the University of NSW and a World Health Organization Covid-19 adviser. More than 1,000 people have taken to the streets of Sydney’s CBD as part of an anti-vaccination rally. The ABC reported the peaceful demonstration caused traffic disruption as protesters made their way through the city to Hyde Park, some carrying Serbian flags, in a reference to the treatment of the world No 1 tennis player, Novak Djokovic. Others chanted slogans against children receiving Covid-19 vaccinations. A large-scale search is continuing for a nine-year-old girl who has been missing in the New South Wales Blue Mountains since Thursday, AAP reports. Police were alerted to Charlise Mutten’s absence on Friday morning. They say she was last seen by her parents at a property at Mount Wilson, 60km north-west of Richmond. More than a hundred police and emergency personnel are involved in the search. My colleague Ben Doherty’s story about this morning’s developments in the Novak Djokovic case is now live. Djokovic faces a federal court hearing Sunday morning, Australia time, which will determine whether the immigration minister, Alex Hawke, minister acted unreasonably in rescinding his visa. Documents filed in the court reveal the minister’s reasons sent to Djokovic as justification for cancelling his visa. Hawke said he accepted Djokovic’s recent Covid-19 infection meant he was a “negligible risk to those around him”, but that he was “perceived by some as a talisman of a community of anti-vaccine sentiment”. You can read the full story here: The Northern Territory has recorded its second death of the pandemic, a 40-year-old woman from the Bagot Aboriginal community in Darwin. The NT’s deputy chief minister, Nicole Manison, said the woman was fully vaccinated and had underlying health issues. The territory recorded 412 new cases and there are 32 people in hospital, none in intensive care. And with that, I’m off! Lisa Cox is going to see you through the afternoon – come what may. |