Whither Australian liberty and rule of law?

According to a person close to the tournament with direct knowledge of the sequence of events, Djokovic followed every step of the country’s visa process properly. Moreover, the person said, Djokovic’s medical exemption was granted with all identifying information redacted, ruling out the possibility of favoritism for the tennis star.

But in the view of the person close to the Open, Australian authorities “did an about-face” on Djokovic’s status after his disclosure of being granted a medical exemption to covid vaccination requirements sparked outrage in Melbourne and throughout the country from citizens who have been subject to exceedingly strict protocols for nearly two years.

“He did everything correctly,” the person said. “But the goal posts have been changed — for him.”

Here is more from the very pro-vaccine Washington Post.  Has the culture there become so worn down from internal restrictions that they are so resentful?  Over ninety percent of the Australian public is vaccinated, and omicron is spreading there in any case.  Maybe there was some minor problem in the visa application, but so often there is — should the result really be such last minute political grandstanding?  It would have been easy enough to inform him in advance that maybe he would not be admitted into the country, right?  Is his case now really going to receive a fair hearing?