When the Immigration Minister, Alex Hawke, released his reason for revoking the tennis star's visa for the second time, it was on "health and good order grounds, on the basis it was in the public interest to do so".

Mr Hawke said Mr Djokovic posed a health risk by potentially causing "an increase in anti-vaccination sentiment". The government's lawyers went even further, saying he was an "icon for anti-vaxxer groups".

Then the rhetoric started changing.

Following the Federal Court's decision to uphold the deportation order, border security, not just a perceived risk to public health, was suddenly back at the heart of the government's continually changing narrative.

Mr Hawke said "Australia's strong border protection policies have kept us safe during the pandemic, resulting in one of the lowest death rates, strongest economic recoveries, and highest vaccination rates in the world."

And, not surprisingly, the Prime Minister - who had kicked off the descent into chaos less than a fortnight ago when he apparently thought Mr Djokovic's arrival was going to be his Tampa moment - was beating the same drum.

"I welcome the [Federal Court] decision to keep our borders strong and keep Australians safe," Mr Morrison said. "Strong borders are fundamental to the Australian way of life, as is the rule of law."

Border security has always played well for the Coalition. Mr Morrison was, after all, the man who "stopped the boats". This is very familiar territory for him; and rhetoric Australians have heard many times before.

The question, given the complexities of the Djokovic case, is whether or not voters will take the bait one more time.

The fly in the ointment, which none of the string of ministers including Karen Andrews and Marise Payne who are blowing the border security bugle will address, is that Mr Djokovic had a visa issued by the federal government. He also had vaccine exemptions from the Victorian government and Tennis Australia.

Who knows? If the Serbian had not shot himself in the foot by submitting inaccurate documents as part of his visa application and leaving himself open to the suspicion that he would be unlikely to comply with COVID-19 restrictions, the outcome of the court hearing may have been different.

Mr Djokovic did not speak out against vaccination during his stay in Australia and, while he did bring the situation on his head by failing to get vaccinated, could hardly be said to pose a clear and present danger to Australian vaccination rates. After all, as the PM keeps reminding us, after a very slow start to the rollout we now have one of the most highly vaccinated populations on the planet.

One reason the government wants to shift the focus to border security, rather than the issue of whether or not the world No.1 was a threat to "health and good order", is that it can't or won't deal with the anti-vaxxer rats in its own ranks.

Last year, five government senators - Matt Canavan, Alex Antic, Gerard Rennick, Sam McMahon and Concetta Fierravanti-Wells - crossed the floor to support a bill calling for an end to vaccine mandates. George Christensen has been posting anti-vaxxer material on social media with impunity.

While it is good that Mr Djokovic's deportation has told the world the unvaccinated can't come here, Mr Morrison needs to take firm action against the anti-vaxxer icons at the heart of his own government.

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