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State, National Government Collide Over Aussie Open

INTERNATIONAL: It would seem there’s still uncertainty about how Australia will be treating unvaccinated tennis players for January’s Australian Open. On Wednesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that unvaccinated players would be allowed to enter the country if they underwent 14 days of quarantine, but that’s not what his Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said last week. According to him, players would have to be fully-vaccinated. There’s even been talk of granting permits to unvaccinated players so that they can avoid quarantine, but that’s been slammed by the state of Victoria, where the tournament will be played. At the moment, the situation is as clear as mud.

Just who’ll be playing here in Melbourne in January and under what arrangements is anyone’s guess. Australia just can’t seem to make its mind up about whether unvaccinated players – and there are lots of them – will even be allowed into the country to play in the year’s first Grand Slam. Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke to reporters on Wednesday and contradicted his own Immigration Minister who wants everyone entering the country to be fully-vaccinated:

"Well, the same rules have to apply for everyone. If I wasn't double vaccinated when I come home from Glasgow, I'd be doing two weeks of quarantine in Sydney. So the same rules apply to everyone, whether you're a grand slam winner, a prime minister, a business traveller, a student or whoever. Same rules. The states will set the rules about the quarantine as they are."

There’s even been talk of granting permits to unvaccinated players or those who refuse to reveal their vaccination status, like world number one Novak Djokovic. Those permits would waive quarantine rules, but that’s been flatly rejected by Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews who is vehemently opposed to letting unvaccinated people into the country without undergoing quarantine:

"We've got the, I think the greatest tennis facility in the world, Victorian tax payers have supported the redevelopment which is still ongoing at that facility. It is I think the best grand slam venue anywhere in the world. That's what all the international tennis people tell me every year when they're here for it, so I think it's highly unlikely that anyone else is going to be hosting that event. We will be hosting that event. But we will not, we will not be applying for an exemption for unvaccinated players to come here, and that is the only fair thing to do."

Victoria's position is a blow for Tennis Australia, who want the strongest field possible for the tournament. Australia's borders have been effectively sealed for 18 months due to the pandemic, although authorities have approved travel exemptions for special cases.

PHOTO: SOUNDBITES FROM AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER, FILE FOOTAGE OF MELBOURNE PARK, DRONE FOOTAGE OF MELBOURNE


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