Tennis star’s deportation exposes Australian border debate

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Weary of some of the harshest COVID-19 border restrictions in the world, many Australians wanted tennis star Novak Djokovic kicked out of their country for traveling to a tennis tournament without being vaccinated. But the backdrop to the government’s tough line on the defending Australian Open champion _ and Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s description of the expulsion as a “decision to keep our borders strong” _ dates to nearly a decade ago. It also shines a light on Australia’s complicated, and strongly criticized, immigration and border policies. Now, with the next election due by May, Djokovic has become the new focus of the government’s claim to a tough stance on border protection. Opposition leaders argue that the tennis star has exposed government failures.