Analysis: Djokovic won his court case but few Australians are cheering

Judge Anthony Kelly’s ruling that Novak Djokovic be freed to contest the Australian Open overruled the government’s insistence that he should be barred for failing to prove he is exempt from being inoculated against Covid-19. Australia’s small but vocal group of anti-vaxxers see Djokovic as a hero who took on the state — and won. Others, especially those from Australia’s Serbian community, see him as a victim of unfair persecution. On Monday night, supporters crowded the streets outside the office of the Serb’s Melbourne lawyer chanting, “Free Novak. Free Novak. Free Novak.”But for many Australians, the problem wasn’t about Djokovic’s paperwork — it was whether he considered himself above the country’s On the surface, those numbers may suggest the unvaccinated Djokovic doesn’t pose a serious health risk to the Australian public, as the government argued. It may also suggest that Australia’s strict anti-Covid measures have ended — and in many ways they have.However, for millions of Australians, memories of uncompromising border closures and other pandemic restrictions remain fresh. Months before a federal election, it can be assumed the ruling Liberal Party decided that allowing Djokovic into the country contradicted its messaging that vaccinations are the way out of the pandemic, and that the pain of the past two years to keep Covid cases low was worth it.But in losing the court challenge, the government may have only succeeded in casting one of the world’s most prominent anti-vaxxers as a victim and its officials as bullies using their executive power to make a political point.Tough border restrictions kept Australians out The Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, has long boasted about being tough on borders, and it was especially so during the pandemic.Australia was one of the first countries to adopt a zero-Covid policy when international borders closed in March 2020. The move succeeded in keeping the country’s Covid deaths enviably low, but the move had severe repercussions for Australians living outside the country — and those within. For almost two years, tens of thousands of citizens were Not only were international borders shut, but state borders periodically closed and reopened, preventing families from seeing loved ones without a government-approved reason and forcing some returning locals to quarantine in a hotel at their own expense.The measures prompted protests, but for the most part Australians complied — they watched Covid spread worldwide, killing millions.But the restrictions weren’t enough. Outbreaks saw Melbourne and Sydney locked down for months, and finally at the end of last year the government conceded that Covid-19 couldn’t be contained.Daily reported Covid-19 cases

It was anThere are no formal lockdowns in Australia, but as cases rise, some people are self-isolating to avoid catching the virus. Shelves are empty in some supermarkets as supply chains strain under worker absences for illness or isolation. Health workers say they’re exhausted despite official assurances the system is coping.Early on in the Djokovic saga, some speculated the government’s focus on his visa was a distraction from the problems plaguing ordinary Australians. If it was, it only succeeded in diverting attention to another issue normally overlooked — the country’s treatment of refugees. For a short time, the world focused on the Park Hotel in Melbourne, where about 30 people who sought safety in Australia are languishing, indefinitely, under the country’s immigration policies.They are bound by the same Migration Act that temporarily detained Djokovic. The same court that settled his case has heard their arguments for years. And the same minister who is said to be considering re-arresting Djokovic has the power to free them. If nothing else, for many Australians, the past two years has provided some perspective.Some now question why special privileges are extended to sports people who travel the world when others only recently struggled to cross a state border to see a loved one — and now are finding it hard to get a test to even confirm their illness.The questions become especially pointed if a particular sports person — through his words and actions — directly contradicts the promise that vaccinations will mean a return to normal life. If and when Djokovic takes to the court in a bid to claim a record-extending 10th Australian Open title — it’s likely most cheers won’t be for him.And when the government calls an election, it will hope that most Australians overlook its latest blunder and forget the humiliating court order to free — and pay costs for — one of the world’s most successful sportsmen.