Hawke will not make decision on Djokovic visa tonight
Paul Karp
Guardian Australia understands the immigration minister,
Alex Hawke, will not make a call on whether to re-cancel
Novak Djokovic’s visa tonight Australian time.
A spokesman for Hawke said: “
Following today’s Federal Circuit ... determination on a procedural ground, it remains within immigration minister Hawke’s discretion to consider cancelling Mr Djokovic’s visa under his personal power of cancellation within section 133C(3) of the Migration Act. The minister is currently considering the matter and the process remains ongoing.”
Earlier this evening other outlets speculated that Hawke would need to make such a decision within four hours. The four hour window is only relevant if the government had decided to re-detain Djokovic for questioning, which has not occurred.
There is no time limit on Hawke’s power to cancel the visa – it can be done whenever he reaches the requisite satisfaction that there is a ground to do so and it is in the public interest.