South Australian Senator Alex Antic, who has previously warned about cancel culture banning Magnums.(Image: Facebook)

As government lawyers were defending Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s decision to cancel Novak Djokovic’s visa, a Coalition senator appeared on Serbian television to defend the tennis star.

Senator Alex Antic, an outspoken opponent of “vaccine mandates”, told broadcaster Studio B that Hawke’s cancellation of Djokovic’s visa was “regrettable,” just a day before the Federal Court unanimously rejected an appeal against the minister’s decision.

“I’ve been outspoken about Novak for a whole host of reasons. One of which is I don’t think he poses any threat to the Australian people,” he said.

“The courts have spoken and I believe he should have been allowed to stay,” referring to the Federal Circuit Court’s order to quash an initial visa cancellation last Monday.

Antic hit out at the media and bureaucrats, who he accused of stoking fear about COVID-19 in Australia over the past two years.

The show’s host, Sanja Lubardic, told Antic: “We are extremely proud of you here in Serbia, because we recognise you as one of our own.” Antic is of Serbian descent. 

More anti-vax headaches

Antic is one of a handful of Coalition MPs and senators who have railed against COVID vaccines, mandates and pandemic restrictions and are accused of spreading misinformation. Others on that fringe also expressed their support for Djokovic over the past week.

On Telegram, outgoing Dawson MP George Christensen lamented the court’s decision.

“How sad. At the very least you can say that Australia doesn’t care whether you’re rich or poor, an Aussie or a foreigner; the fact is if you’re not vaccinated, you’re not welcome,” he wrote.

“And that, my friends, is just simply not the country I was born in.”

Last week, Christensen celebrated Djokovic’s brief reprieve in the Federal Circuit Court, calling for all restrictions on unvaccinated Australians to end.

Over the weekend, Queensland Senator Gerard Rennick, who uses his Facebook page to promote unverified stories of alleged adverse vaccine reactions, used the Djokovic affair as an opportunity to renew his attacks on vaccine mandates.

Beyond the considerable traction Rennick gets on Facebook, the Coalition’s vaccine sceptics have caused numerous headaches for the government. Heading into the final parliamentary sitting fortnight of last year, Rennick and Antic threatened to withhold their votes unless the government pushes back against vaccine mandates. Five government senators also voted for an unsuccessful One Nation anti-mandate bill.

Morrison refuses to condemn

The views of the party’s fringe also highlights a tension for the Morrison government. Key to Hawke’s visa decision was the claim allowing Djokovic into the country would incite anti-vax sentiment. 

While Hawke can’t deport his own colleagues, the government has done little to push back against the anti-vax sentiment coming from its own ranks.

When grilled by Ben Fordham on 2GB this morning about the double standard here, Prime Minister Scott Morrison claimed the radio host was evasive.

“In Australia, if you’re an Australian, you’re a citizen, you’re a resident and you’re a citizen, you can be here and you can express your views,” he said. “If you’re 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.”

The message is clear: vaccine-sceptical tennis stars are a problem. His own partyroom is not.