Experts say Djokovic’s recent visa problems highlight “dysfunctional and dangerous” Australian immigration regulations. Migration lawyers state that the tennis number one’s visa cancellation sets a precedent that could lead to further deportations on political grounds.
“Deportation of a person because of a purported risk as to how others might perceive them and then act sets a terrible precedent,” Michael Stanton, the president of Liberty Victoria said.“It can and will be used in the future to justify the suppression of legitimate political expression because others might engage in unrest.”
“One danger of largely unfettered discretions, or ‘God powers’, is that decision making just becomes political and populist … eroding the integrity of the executive and the rule of law.”
Thousands of visa cancellations have been made since 2014, according to Liberty Victoria, but are often invalid under Australian law and result in significant problems for those affected, including separation from family, indefinite detention, and even forced return to danger.
The government, according to Barns, has established for itself a “very low bar” for excluding someone from Australia, which is “alarming in a country supposedly dedicated to freedom of speech and thought.”