Regards Vincent of Moscow's comments:

The Australian government is focused on the poverty of dispossessed Aborigines, but there's no magic bullet, just as there's no magic bullet for the poverty in London, Glasgow or Belfast.

Governments can walk and chew gum at the same time, or at least that's what we elect them to do.

Australia has taken in a number of black refugees from Zimbabwe - how many Aboriginals have fled to the 'greener pastures' of the Mugabe regime?

<blockquote>We first met the Mhlanga family earlier this year, on ABC’s Australian Story.

Dumi was already working. His wife Kate and their three children had just arrived in Melbourne.

They came with only their suitcases and the equivalent of about $40 Australian dollars.

"It was a very difficult decision because we were thinking that we were going to a new place, a new environment and we didn't know how friendly Australians were, but we had to make that decision," Kate Mhlanga said.

"The situation in the farms was not very ideal and we would lose our jobs at any time and that would create a problem for the whole family if I was unemployed. If the country loses the agriculture base, which is the backbone of the country's economy, then it means everything would just collapse and that is what has happened now," Dumi Mhlanga said. <blockquote>

Australia has also taken in many Jewish and Moslem refugees from Russia.

Peter, Sydney,

it's interesting that Joe plays the race card, in someways it is a race issue, if a white dictator was imposing the suffering that the current government is imposinf on the largly black population i am sure the rest of the African leaders would stop dithering and attempt to help the people of Zimbabwae, at long last a head of government has decided to speak out and practise what they preach. Well done Austrailia for showing some backbone, now lets pray that the African leaders follow suit.

Mark, South Wales,

John Dempster (ex Zimbabwean), London, Why did you leave your native country exactly?

We actually applaud the fact that our Prime Minister has the guts to stand up to your "infantile butcher" . Its evident that the ICC won't make the decision, someone has to take a stand. The ICC don't particularly care for your countrymen, they are a sporting body not the UN. It should be a political decision not one regulated by a sporting body.

PM, Sydney, Australia

Once again, Howard should focus on the poverty of the dispossed Aborigines in his own country (their plight is far, far worse than those of the poor Zimbabweans) rather than worrying about povety in Zimbabwe.

He should ban Austrialia cricketers from touring next-door Pakistan, where a military dictator does not even allow the level of democracy that exists in Zimbabwe (of course, Pakistan is a darling of the West).

Mr. Howard will also do well to ban Austrialians from visiting the United States until all the CIA secret prisons are closed, Guatanamo Bay is closed, and those responsible for the torture at Abu Ghraib are brought to justice.

If Howard still has no business of his own to mind, he should do something about the illegal war in Iraq that has killed 600,000 and created 2.5 million refugees...

Vincent, Moscow, Russia

This is good and bad news. Good IF Mugabe gets the message! Bad in the sense that it sets a precedent in a supposedly democratic country for governments controlling who may travel and to where they may go.

Peter Hargreaves, Stockport, Cheshire, U.K.

I oppose almost everything Howard stands for but this decision is correct. It has nothing to do with black vs white. It is a shame that Western nations who are quite prepared to sacrifice their own citizens and locals in interventions in places like Iraq and Afghanistan do not have the resolve to remove this manifestly evil man.

John McLoughlin, Melbourne, Australia

I am glad the Australian government has taken the decision not to allow its national cricket team to tour Zimbabwe. This may persuade governments of other cricketing nations not to dither and hide behind the oft-claimed principle that "sports and politics do not mix". If the Zimbabwe regime has such scant regard for its population's welfare it should be isolated, and that includes isolation from the international sporting arena.

Teo Hue, Birmingham, England

I don't believe Government's should interfere in sport. I know the players' have to earn a living from their sport but it is the players who should be making a stand and refusing to play in Zimbabwe or against the Zimbabwe team anywhere in the world. This odious dictator needs to realise that the world will not stand for his regime on any level.

Tracey, Manchester,

While not for a moment questioning the need to bring the Government of Zimbabwe to its senses would we really want our Prime Minister arbitrarily telling us which countries we can and cannot visit because he doesn't happen to like their policies, and confiscating our passports so we can't travel anywhere? Australia is not at war with Zimbabwe, nor is there any suggestion that their cricketers might be in any danger.

Peter Martin, Welwyn,, Herts

it seems its a race thing , how come there is only a problem when it comes white cricket playiong nations , that tour would be good to spread cricket among the black people, expalins why most white zimababweans are aganist the tour

Joe, Hatfield, England

A government with some balls. Nice to see.

Si, Reading,

A victory for common sense, and something which our own government ought to have done in 2003.

I remain astonished that NATO and the West continue their indifference to Mr Mugabe's tyrannical regime. It is only from checking out the CIA Factbook that I discovered that Zimbabwe has no real natural resources (diamonds, gold, oil etc) worth "protecting", unlike certain other countries that we've taken more of an "interest" in, which is probably the true reason for the international apathy.

Mr Speight, Manchester,

Going to Zimbabwe was the second worst thing that could have happened, the worst being government interference in sport. Shows how infantile Australian society is, that they would welcome intervention by nanny. Let the ICC make the decision, dammit, kick the odious Zimbabwe cricketing system out.

John Dempster (ex Zimbabwean), London ,