The full bench of the Federal Court has unanimously decided to uphold the decision of Immigration Minister Alex Hawke in cancelling the visa of world number one men’s tennis star Novak Djokovic. Chief Justice James Allsop ordered that the reasons of the Court be delivered at a alter date but did stress that the Court was required to rule on the legality of Minister Hawke’s decision rather than its merit.

The saga surrounding Djokovic’s vaccination status and the effect it was having on his visa to enter Australia and play lasted for 11 days, primarily due to his initial success having the decision of the Australian Border Force overturned. The reason that the visa was initially cancelled was due to the suspicion that Djokovic (or rather his agent) had given false or misleading information on his Australian traveller declaration upon entering the country. This is considered a serious offence and often results in the cancellation of visas as well as civil penalties.

However, the legal challenge brought against this decision by Djokovic was successful, primarily thanks to the knowledgeable and effective work of the Australian legal team from Hall and Wilcox he chose to represent him. Although he lost the dispute in the end, it was a perfect example of the need for solicitors that are going to be in your corner and fight for you in every way possible. For someone who was visiting Australia, such as Djokovic, it was obviously vital that he had legal representation who were able to understand the law and communicate with him in a way that was easy to understand.

At Salerno Law, our Litigation team can provide representation that fights for you as fiercely as Djokovic’s advocates did in his matter. We have a wealth of experience in the courtroom helping to win for you and secure the best outcome when issues reach the litigation stage. From civil procedure to dealing with Courts and opponents, the Salerno Law Litigation team is efficient, effective and most importantly, constantly oriented towards your needs as the client.

If you need representation in a litigious matter, contact us today or learn more about our litigation practice here.

By Josiah Neal