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Scott Morrison lashes out at "NoVac" Djokovic's bogus vax exemption

Image: Getty In a dramatic turn of events, Scott Morrison has accused Novak Djokovic of trying to 'run the border' in an epic serve against the tennis star who has been refused entry into Australia. The prime minister said Novak Djokovic only has himself to blame for his predicament because he didn't have a valid vaccine exemption to enter Australia. 'I want to thank the Border Force officers for doing their job implementing the Government's policies, they have done their job, entry with a visa requires double vaccination, or a medical exemption,' Mr Morrison said. 'I am advised that such an exemption was not in place, and as a result he is subject to the same rule as anyone else. 'People try to run the border all the time. People come with a visa that may not satisfy other requirements for entry - and they are put back on planes and turned back all the time.' 'I also want to stress, that ultimately, this is the responsibility of the traveller. It is for the traveller to be able to assert and backup their ability to come into the country consistent with our laws’. However Alan Jones blasted the federal government over the move to deport Djokovic - claiming he is being treated like a 'common criminal'. The outspoken broadcaster accused the government of 'weaponising' Djokovic's case and unfairly singling him out when similar applications from other players had been approved. 'It gives every impression, as with so many issues, that governments are prepared to abandon facts and cave in to pressure from the left-wing Twitter mob,' Jones wrote in a post on his personal Facebook page. 'Djokovic was granted an exemption - now it appears that the visa rules which have applied to others who were granted exemptions, do not apply to Djokovic.' 'It is easy to see Djokovic as the villain; but the image of an Australia treating a bloke like a common criminal owes more to the behaviour of a police state than it does to a liberal democracy. 'You either have rule by law or rule by the mob. Which is it?' Jones' rant came as an image emerged reportedly showing Djokovic being taken in a van to a hotel quarantine facility in Melbourne on Thursday morning. Djokovic's team are understood to have applied for a type of visa that does not allow medical exemptions for the unvaccinated. The Prime Minister's criticism comes just hours after the tennis champion was<a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/novak-djokovic-told-to-leave-australia"> ordered to leave</a> the country, as he jeopardised his chances of competing in the upcoming Australian Open.

News

Novak Djokovic slammed for vaccine exemption

Novak Djokovic has been met with <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/should-be-ashamed-australia-disgusted-as-djokovic-receives-vaccine-exemption/news-story/ad9c957c0d8cfec6bc6fc0098ba02bca" target="_blank">widespread criticism</a> by Australians after he shared news of his exemption allowing him to play in the Australian Open this month. Despite public claims from Victorian government officials that the tennis champion would not be allowed to compete if he wasn’t fully vaccinated, Djokovic is now able to enter the country without confirming his vaccination status. Though he has refused to share his status publicly, the 34-year-old said he was opposed to mandatory vaccination in April 2020. “Personally I am not pro-vaccines,” he said at the time. “I would not like it for someone to compel me to be vaccinated so I can travel.” The world No. 1 took to social media to announce his exemption on Tuesday night, sparking furious reactions from Australians - particularly in Melbourne and Sydney - whose movements have been restricted over the past two years due to the pandemic. “Australians have been denied for two years, but this bloke - who’s taken extraordinary liberties in the face of the coronavirus - gets his exemption,” Melbourne-based radio host and sports broadcaster Andy Maher wrote on social media. “Novak Djokovic is an all-time great, but he ain’t essential.” Sports writer Daniel Cherny said the move was “weak as p**s”, while football journalist Jon Ralph labelled it as “farcical” and a “rort”. “Watch everyone dodge the responsibility for him somehow getting him an exemption,” he said. “People will be going to bed right now to get up at 5am to do the right thing to get into testing queues for PCR results they won’t get for six days and will quarantine anyway. How bloody galling to see Novak getting an exemption. Farcical.” Ex-AFL star Corey McKernan also weighed in, dubbing it a “f***ing disgrace”. “People with loved ones who are dying / some needing urgent treatment cannot get into their own states. You tell people they can’t go to Coles or a cafe without being vaxxed but if you’re world number 1, you get a pass? F***ing disgrace,” he tweeted. Australians weren’t the only ones slamming the decision. Double world No. 19 Jamie Murray - two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray’s brother - said the decision was made under different standards. “I think if I had been there instead of him, I would not have obtained any exemption,” he said. In a statement in response to the decision, Tennis Australia clarified that Djokovic wasn’t given an exemption to play while unvaccinated. Instead, his exemption came as the result of a review process involving the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) and the Independent Medical Examination Review Panel appointed by the Victorian Department of Health. “Djokovic applied for a medical exemption which was granted following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts,” the association said. “Under an independent process, applications for medical exemption were first reviewed by an expert panel made up of doctors from the fields of immunology, infectious disease and general practice. “Applications that met the national guidelines set by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) were then subjected to a second review conducted by a Government-appointed panel of medical experts, the Independent Medical Exemption Review Panel. “The applications were reviewed and approved only in line with ATAGI guidelines.” Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said players, fans and staff attending the Australian Open would need to be fully vaccinated unless they had a legitimate reason to receive a medical exemption. “Fair and independent protocols were established for assessing medical exemption applications that will enable us to ensure Australian Open 2022 is safe and enjoyable for everyone,” Tiley said. “Central to this process was that the decisions were made by independent medical experts and that every applicant was given due consideration.” Appearing on breakfast TV on Wednesday morning, Tiley noted that one reason medical exemptions could be granted was if someone had contracted COVID-19 within the past six months. Djokovic had the virus in mid-2020 following his Adria Tour, but he has not said whether he has tested positive again within the past six months. “ATAGI’s laid out very clear guidelines for all of us coming into Australia that we have to abide by. That’s why we’ve been saying to the players from the beginning if you want to be assured to come to Australia, you get vaccinated and you be fully vaccinated,” Tiley told Today. “And if you have a medical reason, a medical condition, there is a process if you can go through. “There’s been no special opportunity granted to Novak, nor would there be to any tennis player. In fact, there’s been a process that goes above and beyond the normal process for everyone.” Image: @djokernole (Instagram)

News

“The powerful and rich are not exempt”: Prince Andrew sued over alleged sexual assault

TRIGGER WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULT Australian-American Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime accusers, has sued Prince Andrew, saying he sexually assaulted her when she was 17. Ms Giuffre’s lawyers filed the lawsuit in Manhattan federal court on Monday. In a statement, Ms Guiffre said the lawsuit, where she alleges she was trafficked to him and sexually abused by him, was brought under the Child Victims Act. Under the act, victims of childhood sexual abuse can file a lawsuit up to the age of 55 against a person or institution that may have been involved. “I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me,” she said. “The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. “I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but to reclaim one’s life by speaking out and demanding justice. “I did not come to this decision lightly,” she continued. <img style="width: 400px; height:500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843011/82482731_153388842942400_6058970600144240907_n.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/ef68d67ff30c4f0f91e5656b1a98dbf1" /> Image: Virginia Guiffre / Instagram “As a mother and a wife, my family comes first - and I know that this action will subject me to further attacks by Prince Andrew and his surrogates - but I knew if I did not pursue this action, I would be letting them and victims everywhere down.” In a previous interview with BBC Newsnight in 2019, Prince Andrew said he had never had sex with Ms Guiffre. “It didn’t happen,” he said. He continued to say he had “no recollection” of ever meeting her and that there were “a number of things that are wrong” about her account of the encounter that allegedly occurred in 2001. “I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened,” Andrew said. According to the allegations, Prince Andrew abused Ms Guiffre multiple times while she was under the age of 18. On one occasion that allegedly occurred in Ghislaine Maxwell’s home in London, Guiffre was allegedly forced by Epstein, Maxwell, and Prince Andrew to have sexual intercourse with the prince against her will. The lawsuit also claims that on a separate occasion, Prince Andrew allegedly sexually abused Guiffre at Epstein’s New York home, where Maxwell forced Guiffre and another victim to sit on Andrew’s lap while he touched her. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that Andrew sexually abused the plaintiff on Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands. During each incident, Epstein, Maxwell, and/or Prince Andrew gave her “express or implied threats” to engage in the sexual acts with the prince, according to the lawsuit. <img style="width: 500px; height:331.54296875px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843012/gettyimages-1192977806.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/d29f2f9760cf45bd9be04d6525fdfc5f" /> Melania Trump, Prince Andrew, Gwendolyn Beck, and Jeffrey Epstein. Image: Getty Ms Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges, and will face trial at Manhattan federal court in November. Epstein died at the age of 66 while in federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019, one month after his arrest for sex trafficking charges. Manhattan prosecutors have formally requested to speak with Prince Andrew as part of their continuing probe into Epstein and his encounters with women and teenage girls. Ms Guiffre’s action comes as a fund set up to pay Epstein’s victims announced that it had largely completed its work on Monday, after agreeing to provide $US 125 million ($AUD 170 million) to more than 135 individuals. The Epstein Victims Compensation Program, administered by Jordana Feldman, was designed as an alternative to lawsuits, which could take years to result in a payout. Ms Feldman said 92 percent of 150 eligible applicants have accepted the payments offered by the fund, which were financed with money from Epstein’s estate.

Legal

Family fights to be with cancer-stricken daughter

The parents of a critically-ill little girl have been granted an exemption amid tough hospital restrictions to stay by their daughter’s bedside. Four-year-old Lara Yaroslavceff was only recently diagnosed with leukaemia, in a diagnosis that forced her parents Stacey and Matt to uproot their lives in Orange, New South Wales, so she can be treated in Sydney. “We had to leave our two children, who are three and nine months, in Orange, which is four hours away, indefinitely,” Mrs Yaroslavceff said. “Orange has just gone into lockdown, so we can’t go back and see our other children and they can’t come here and see us.” Then, the already isolated parents were told they would have to separate from each other and care for their daughter in hospital during rotating 24-hour shifts. “One parent per day, no swapping, it is just one parent per day, we are allowed a 15-minute changeover to discuss how Lara has gone in the last 24 hours.” In an emotional changeover this morning, Mr Yaroslavceff swapped out with his wife with the knowledge that his young daughter was about to have her first surgery without him there. “She definitely is struggling not having both of us there,” Mr Yaroslavceff said. “For us especially, just 200 metres away looking out the window, I can see the hospital, we’re not going off-site, we’re not going into the community, we can’t go home because that’s three to four hours away so we’re literally on-site and swapping, so that doesn’t seem to make sense.” The couple are staying at the Ronald McDonald House, which sits on the grounds of Randwick’s Children’s Hospital. Despite the strict restrictions being put in place for the safety of sick and vulnerable patients, Health Minister Brad Hazzard agreed to a request from A Current Affair to reconsider Lara’s case. Shortly after, the decision was made that both Mr and Mrs Yaroslavceff would be able to stay at Lara’s bedside together. “An exemption for the Yaroslavceff family was arranged on Wednesday, 21 July,” a spokesperson from Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network said in a statement. “Exemptions are always considered and our clinical teams are committed to working with families on a case-by-case basis, according to the patient and family’s individual needs, and the safety of other patients, family and staff. “Families are encouraged to discuss any questions or concerns directly with their child’s health care team, so their specific circumstances can be carefully considered.” Image: A Current Affair

Caring

One last visit: Family granted travel exemption to visit dying father

The Queensland Government has granted a health exemption to a pair stranded in a Sydney hotel to visit their dying family member after being denied multiple times. Mark Kilian and Anneli Gericke have been granted permission to fly into Queensland so that Mr Killian can see his dying father, Franz, for the last time. The decision follows after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she would allow the couple back into the state if NSW Health gave a clear plan on how to ensure they travelled safely across the border. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841986/nsq-qld-border-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/c4ff2c03ffcf4c86a9704f407af1f903" /> "We have issued an exemption to Mark Kilian and his partner, subject to NSW finalising arrangement of safe transfer of the couple to Queensland," a Queensland Health statement on Wednesday read. "All quarantine exemption requests are considered on a case-by-case basis, in line with current national guidelines. "It has been a nationally agreed position that all international arrivals must complete 14 days of quarantine in their port of arrival." Queensland Health initially rejected the appeal while the couple sat on the tarmac waiting to depart Los Angeles International Airport, after Border Force and NSW Health appeals were successful. On Wednesday, Ms Palaszczuk told reporters it was "a matter for the NSW Government". "If they want to break the 14-day mandatory quarantine for this couple, and if they can provide (Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young) with how they will safely be transferred from Sydney to the Gold Coast, we, of course, will do everything we can to facilitate the reunion with his father at the earliest convenience.” Prime Minister Scott Morrison penned a letter to Queensland authorities, chiding their handling of the intensely personal matter, saying Mr Kilian had done "everything you possibly can" to see his dying father. Frans Kilian, 80, was moved to hospital last week after his pancreatic cancer took a turn for the worse. "We didn't think he was going to make it through yesterday, I think he'd been holding on for us to get there," Mr Kilian told 9News last week. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841987/nsq-qld-border.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/47dc4e7a17ef46778bd1ab4c82eedab4" /> "When he heard we weren't coming he just took a turn." Mr Morrison said after having to farewell his own father last year, he knew how dire these last moments were for families. "I know what an important time this is for you and that you can never get these days back," he said in a letter to Mr Kilian dated June 22. "I am disappointed the Queensland Government has not found a workable and compassionate solution. "However, the Australian Government does not have authority to step in and provide exemptions from hotel quarantine for travel into Queensland. Under our federation, these decisions are made by the Queensland Government." On Tuesday, Ms Palaszczuk acknowledged that while the situation was "absolutely tragic", her hands were tied by national guidelines on hotel quarantine. However, she did allow one silver lining for the couple. "If the Federal Government wants to talk to both states, I'm happy to facilitate that," she said. "But this [hotel quarantine] applies to everybody. This applies to everyone. Every single person." Mr Kilian feared he wouldn’t get to say goodbye to his father if he and his wife were forced into a two weeks hotel quarantine. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian previously called on her counterparts to show compassion on border exemptions, and to make decisions based on "human dignity". "My heart breaks when I hear about stories like this," she said. "New South Wales has always tried to have a compassionate approach especially when there are circumstances such as this one. "I just ask all of my colleagues to think carefully before preventing families from being united at a very difficult time." Images: 9News

Caring

Calls for Medicare levy exemption to be dropped

The Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) is calling on the Federal Government to abolish the Medicare levy exemption, in a move that would raise $4 billion a year. The idea, spouted in a budget submission from the advocacy group, would see high-income earners slugged with an extra $900 charge a year. At present, only high-income earners without private health insurance are made to pay the levy. ACOSS believes high income earners should be able to afford the levy, and as such should pay it, suggesting the removal of the exemption would be “highly progressive”. The ACOSS budget submission reads: “Only families in the top 20 per cent of households earning over $180,000 would be affected, paying an extra 1.5 per cent of their income. “Among single people without children, only those in the top three quintiles would be affected and the impact would rise with income. A single person earning $90,000 would pay $900 a year more, a single person earning $130,000 would pay $1,625 more and a single individual earning $280,000 would pay $4,200 more.” ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie believes extra funds generated by these measures should be directed towards the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Dr Goldie told <a href="http://www.News.com.au" target="_blank">News.com.au</a>, “We propose that the Levy be further strengthened to help pay for health, aged care and disability services, by removing the exemption for those holding private health insurance from the Medicare Levy surcharge. We estimate this would raise $4 billion. “We can improve the effectiveness of health spending by dropping the Private Health Insurance Rebate and investing more in preventive health services instead of waiting until people need to use hospitals.” What’s your take on this suggestion? Is it unfair to target high income earners, or would this be an easy quick fix that could generate real wins for the budget? Let us know in the comments. Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/2017/02/pm-donated-almost-2-million-to-election-campaign/">PM accused of “buying” the election</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/2017/02/prime-minister-malcolm-turnbull-to-scrap-major-political-entitlement/">Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to scrap major political entitlement</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/2017/02/centrelink-staff-set-to-strike/">Centrelink staff prepare for major strike</a>

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Scott Morrison lashes out at "NoVac" Djokovic's bogus vax exemption

Novak Djokovic slammed for vaccine exemption

“The powerful and rich are not exempt”: Prince Andrew sued over alleged sexual assault

Family fights to be with cancer-stricken daughter

One last visit: Family granted travel exemption to visit dying father

Calls for Medicare levy exemption to be dropped

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