people of australia get some balls! what benefit are these peoples to your country ?? Mr. Howard is a real man with common sense and caring for the peoples of his homeland. God bless toothless hockey players , eh . Michael Savage 2008 !!!

Bill Wade, philly, pa.

I can see Mr. Howard's point. The country needs able-bodied people to settle there, ones that can contribute and get to work right away, not someone that is sick and will be a drain on the taxpayers. Doesn't matter if it is HIV or what have you.
Same should go for trouble makers and the like.

Mark Shipley, Glasgow, USA/Kentucky

Why is Mr Howard coming out with this now?Is there a far more important issue in the background he is trying to divert our attention away from?

Judith Fulham, Windsor, Australia

Kory, your views of a government trying to protect its people from over taxation and fatal diseases and comparing it to the unjust of countries killing their own citizens for political and religious reasons must be some kind of Canadian satirical joke. To think that Tom Green and toothless hockey players was the only thing funny to come out of Canada was rather ignorant of me; You sir are hilarious .

HIV, Ellis Island, USA

"As an Australian with a non-Australian HIV-positive wife, the comments from Howard are very hard to hear. With optimal treatment someone suffering from HIV can expect to be healthy and live for over 20 years from the time they were diagnosed. This optimal treatment is available in Australia, but not in her (my wife's) home country.

jim mcdonald, sydney, australia"

Thanks for speaking up Jim. As a fellow Australian I empathise with you and I believe Howard's days in office are definately numbered.

It's amazing to hear how ludicrous these American's actually are. Have they looked at their own country? Most of the world's problems are coming from America not the other way around, one deosn't need to subscribe to a political agenda to see this, it's just the way it is. So much hate and ignorance coming from that place.

I hope for your wife's sake that Howard will get pumelled for this in parliment and have to recant and look like a fool. Some of us still believe in 'A Fair Go'.

Ash, Dromana, Australia

I have a statement directed at Kory and his(her) ilk; if all of you left wing radicals really feel the need to be the warm bosom to the world's wretched and diseased I propose a two-tiered tax levy structured like this; all pay for basic government services as well as security/emergency response and the like. I will use the US as an example you can substitute with other nations' major parties, if you are a registered Republican you can pay a set tax rate for your income and business\capital ventures and probably pay a lower rate but it is entirely incumbent on yourself to purchase insurance for your life and property and know going in you are the sole propriater of your family's security. On the other hand you can be a Democrat, pay a higher tax rate, trust your government to take care of you and not squander your money and not (in theory) worry about insurance. Then both parties can allow immigration to their own set of standards on an as needed basis and rules for assimilation. Good?

Bill, Detroit, MI, USA

To Kory in Sackville, Canada - not surprised to find your comments - for you to compare the PM of Australia's actions to that of Hitler shows your communist agenda - he is not trying to exterminate any race of people, he is trying to keep his country in tact - he sees what has happened here in the United STates, in England, in France - I have a better solution in taking care of these people - Why don't you and those who think the same as you pool your finances and take care of these people - and as far as your comment about a country being nothing but a bunch of fat men in suits drawing lines on a map and taking taxes - go back to school.

Sandra, tampa, florida

For all those who say those with AIDS can be a contributing member to society, I agree - however, it is the responsibility of every nation's leader to take care of their nation's citizens first and foremost. Here in the US we are darn tired of our government using our tax dollars to support illegal immigrants, to support their children and to educate them when our own children are neglected both in health care and college. I voted for President Bush twice - he has let us down - there is not a single candidate running on either side that I believe will work for America - they all work for themselves - their position is their crown - they are lazy and spoiled and need to be booted out . Can we get John Howard to run for President of the United States?

Sandra, tampa, florida

Howard for president of the USA!
It costs 65K in U.S. dollars to keep one aids patient alive for one year. My health insurance is 1,400 per month. Wanna guess why San Francisco has the highest health care costs of any city in the USA!?

Finally someone who tells it like it is, and doesn't back down from the groups calling him everthing from "Homophobe" to "Nazi".

Charles Abernathy, San Francisco, USA

Hey Kory, try to focus! I realize in your secular liberal world all the ills of societys are equel, and the fault of fat men in suits, ( I am surprised you left out white), but letting people into a country with HIV is not the same as commiting genocide. People are fleeing countrys with inferior governments, run by Socialists ,Dictators or Muslims and citizens like you, to free successfull capitalist countrys like Australia and the USA. When the cost can no longer be supported by the producers in a society, then were will these people go? As for who decides what an asset is, WE DO! THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO PAY GET TO DECIDE!

Phil Charles, Vero Beach, USA, Florida

Why should he let someone into the country he represents that is going to be on the government payroll. the taxpayers do not deserve to pay for them.

Greg, Clinton, Tennessee

All countries have a responsiblity to control immigration and accept only those who can contribute and assimilate. Muslim and third world countries are cesspools of disease and hate for infidels. I applaud Howard for speaking up. The West gives billions to these cesspools to help them. Most of it is stolen by the corrupt leaders. In the US, there is an explosion of diseases that were eradicated 20 years ago. But our el Presidente Jorge Bush wants to have open borders. If you can sneak in, you can get everything our welfare system offers and hate us at the same time. At least Howard has the backbone to say he will protect his citizens. I wish we had a leader like him in the USA.

JohnSobieski, Dar al-Harb, USA

Protect your people if you can, but the'll push it down your throats and your country will be the same as the dumps they all come from! It's a shame but everyone seems to think every country should take on a third world status.......

Kevin Brooks, BRADENTON , Florida

As an Australian with a non-Australian HIV-positive wife, the comments from Howard are very hard to hear. With optimal treatment someone suffering from HIV can expect to be healthy and live for over 20 years from the time they were diagnosed. This optimal treatment is available in Australia, but not in her (my wife's) home country.

jim mcdonald, sydney, australia

I applaud John Howard for restricting the entry of persons with dangerous diseases into his country. I wish we were as diligent in the USA. With our current situation of illegal aliens coming into our country, we are having diseases coming back that we conquered decades ago. I ride the city buses and I wonder if I am being exposed to hepatitis or TB when I have to go someplace. After riding a public bus, when I get home I go straight to the washroom and wash my hands with Comet cleanser that has bleach in it. I never know what my hands have touched in public places. ICK!!!!! It's really scary. Maybe I should apply to go to Australia since John Howard is the only leader securing the borders of his country. I might be safer there.

April, Burbank, CA/USA

You have to love the Australians they won’t put up with all the politically correct rubbish we have to. No the Australians will put their public first every single time unlike this Britain

John, Salford, England

I see that many people here support such and ignorant and discriminate view, which is very sad.

Does he think that HIV/AIDS sufferers want this disease? It is hard enough for HIV sufferers to have the illness, never the less have the a country in which you are trying to immigrate to reject you because of an illness you may not have had the choice in contracting.

This shows the continuing ignorance of the Australian government, here we reject all immigrants, even the skilled one's (funny when Aus has a major skills shortage) and reffugees, if a refugee makes it from their 3rd world country, we stuff them in detention centers for up to 10 years for "processing".

It's pathetic, much John Howard and his government.

Ryan Densley, Cleveland, Australia, QLD

Twenty five years TOO LATE

John Parker, Adelaide, Australia

Quite correct Australia !, you only have to look here in the UK and see what pressure there is on our wefare sytem because of the overwhelming burden of so called refugees/asylum seekers needing treatment(free of course). On the the subject of HIV we should be doing the same, and, TB has returned to our country thanks to our open door illegal immigration policy by this irresponsible New Labour goverment.
We should compulsory charge the countries the cost of caring for these refugees, as their corrupt goverments are to blame for most of this mess ,and the naive left wing should be targeting them and stop using the race card everytime they lose the argument on this ever growing problem, its just a cop out!.

Robert Dickson, Dundonald, Ayrshire, Scotland

I applaud Australia for protecting their people from TB&HIV?AIDS. HIV?AIDS is deadly with no cure and can be spread at will.Also there are resistant strains of TB that are not curable and contageous.With so many people dying of Aid in Africa at an epademic level,keep all the contageous diseases OUT.Protect your country

Bea Zeis, Florence, Ky.

Definitely agree with Mr. Howard's position. If Australia were to adopt the extreme liberal attitude of political correctness that has ruined the United States of America, they would be over-run with undesirables (as we are) who are seeking entry just to take advantage of any and all available freebies. Would Mr. Howard entertain the idea of running on the conservative ticket here in '08? We could use a man in the White House for a change.

Jerry, San Diego, CA

Sad to hear such thing from a PM of a country like Australia, people with HIV had suffered enough and still, stop discriminate, give them a peace of mind, Its no one choice to have hiv, thing happen. Where is humanity. shame shame shame on you Mr. Howard.

John, Toronto, Canada

Hey, if the prime minister says you can't come in for whatever reason, you can't come in. Period. Life isn't always fair in this world.

Emanuel, San Diego, California, United States

Finally A leader that shows some BACKBONE!!!!

Tim, Federal Way, Wa, USA

If only we in the USA had a leader with this much guts to spell out what is right....

Let's see, no HIV, no Islam = no problems! Get the equation? Hope so!

JonR, Las Vegas, USA

HIV/AIDS treatment can be extremely expensive. Who is going to pay
for it? Australian taxpayers? Their democratically elected government
has every right to decide who of the immigrants is an asset, and who
would be a burden. Taxpayers money must not be wasted for political
correctness and for appeasing liberal agenda.
Who disagrees is welcome to send their own money to these foreign
HIV/AIDS patients.

Daniel Pardel, Florianopolis, Brazil

Kory, why don't you take ONE Aids patient into your your home, pay for the medication, make sure he's not a burden to society, make sure he does not have unprotected sex with anyone else. Australia is doing just what Canada and the U.S. should be doing. Especially with polio and tuberculosis coming up from Mexico.

German, Tulsa, Oklahoma U.S.

i would think denieing entry for hiv could be a viewed as a safety issue, after all, is that not
the goverment 's bottomline, or is it just to tax an spend.

cutter, skandia,

This is atrocious. First of all, Eddy, do you know the first thing about HIV/AIDS, aside from that its that disease that gay people and Africans get? Someone with the terrible disease can still be an asset to any society, with drugs they can live for years. Second of all, who defines what an asset is? Who are you to say that someone with a virus is less valuable to society than someone without? And Ann; your comment is somewhat off topic but also ignorant, what is a country but a bunch of fat men in suits drawing lines on a map and taking taxes? These fat men can do alot of good, they are important; they provide roads, education, healthcare, and security. But they do not have the right to do whatever they want. Does the Sudanese government have the right to exterminate the non-Muslim population? Did the Hutu government in Rwanda have the right to exterminate the Tutsis? Does the Chinese government have the right to shoot protesteres? Did the Nazis have the right to kill the Jews?

Kory, Sackville, Canada

I agree with the prime minister. Cruel as it may sound, a person with HIV/AIDS cannot be an asset to Australia.

Eddy, Davis, USA

I agree that Australia ,should have the right to who they want and dont want to live in their Country. That should be every Country's right.

Ann, Toronto, Canada