Novak Djokovic saga: Rebel MPs flag further strife for Scott Morrison

Lib senator Alex Antic plans to continue his rebellion against Scott Morrison and abstain from voting on government legislation.

Liberal senator Alex Antic. Picture: Morgan Sette

Liberal senator Alex Antic is ­planning to continue his rebellion against Scott Morrison when parliament resumes next month and abstain from voting on government legislation.

The Australian understands that the outspoken South Australian senator is intending to continue the protest that brought chaos to the government last year because he was unhappy about the Prime Minister’s refusal to ban vaccine mandates.

Fellow rebels Gerard Rennick and George Christensen are yet to decide if they will abstain from backing government legislation, as they did in December.

But all three MPs criticised the Morrison government over the deportation of unvaccinated tennis star Novak Djokovic.

Senator Antic said the cancelling of Djokovic’s visa was unnecessary. “Australia has a vaccination rate of more than 90 per cent which is one of the highest rates in the world. Mr Djokovic came to Australia to play in one of the world’s premier tennis events, not campaign on political matters such as vaccination mandates,” Senator Antic said.

“There are a variety of vapid Hollywood celebrities who hold incredibly irrational views in relation to a range of medical and social matters and I presume that those persons will also now come under the scrutiny of this ministerial power,” he added.

Senator Rennick said the government was being inconsistent by criticising Djokovic for putting false statements in his travel declaration form to enter Australia. Djokovic apologised for ticking a box on his entry form stating he had not travelled in the 14 days before his arrival, despite having travelled to Serbia in that period before departing from Spain for the trip to Australia.

“If Novak was thrown out for lying, will the Prime Minister make Pfizer repay the billions paid to them on basis of their CEO’s promise that the vaccine was 100 per cent effective in stopping transmission,” Senator Rennick said. “He needs to be consistent.”

Mr Christensen said Djokovic’s deportation showed “if you’re not vaccinated, you and your views are deemed as dangerous”.

“This ‘othering’ of the non-vaccinated is not only patently absurd, given Omicron is ripping through the vaccinated population, but it’s a symptom of a psychosis that’s gripped a certain segment of Australian society,” he said.

Mr Christensen said he was yet to decide whether he would ­reserve his right to vote against government legislation when parliament resumes next month.

“I have requested that the ­government task ATAGI with developing criteria to enable a conscientious objection to be a qualifying factor for a medical exemption, because forcing someone to act against their conscience can cause harm mentally, emotionally and psychologically,” Mr Christensen said.

“I can’t say anything further until I see the outcome of that ­request, or of my previous request to put anti-discrimination rules around use of Australian Immunisation Register data.”

On Monday, the Prime Minister rejected claims that he was ­engaging in double standards by being tough on Djokovic’s anti-­vaccination stance but not pulling his own anti-vaccination MPs into line.

“In Australia, if you’re an Australian … you’re a resident and you’re a citizen, you can be here and you can express your views,” Mr Morrison told 2GB.

“If you are someone coming from overseas and there are conditions for you to enter this country, well you have to comply with them. And it’s as simple as that.”

Mr Morrison added, however, that there could be an opportunity to lessen Djokovic’s three-year ban from Australia.

“It does go over a three-year period, but there is the opportunity for them to return in the right circumstances and that would be considered at the time,” he said.