Cricket Australia (CA) have sent a three-man delegation to Zimbabwe for a safety inspection this week ahead of their planned tour of the troubled African country in May.
CA public affairs general manager Peter Young said Australia had made a decision last year to proceed with the two-Test tour, but added security remained an issue.
Young said Australian Cricketers' Association chief executive Tim May, CA cricket operations general manager Michael Brown and team manager Steve Bernard had travelled to Harare to complete inspections and discussions with Zimbabwe cricket and Australia government officials on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"They are checking that all of the operational issues are as they need to be, like catering, hotels, transport, cricket facilities," Young told Reuters in a telephone interview on Tuesday.
"As part of that, we have a particular concern about safety and security. We have always said that if there is any risk to safety and security we won't tour."
Australia cancelled a tour of Zimbabwe in 2002 because of security concerns.
The delegation will brief Ricky Ponting's side later this week in Sri Lanka where they are preparing for a three-Test series starting on March 8.
The England Cricket Board have delayed a decision on whether to tour Zimbabwe in October until after a meeting with the sport's ruling body, the International Cricket Council, later this month.
The Commonwealth of Britain and its former colonies and protectorates suspended Zimbabwe in 2002, saying President Robert Mugabe had rigged his re-election and harassed opponents.
England pulled out of a World Cup match in Harare last year because of security concerns. World champions Australia went ahead with their game in Bulawayo without incident.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said in January he would leave the decision to CA, despite the government's strong view the tour should be cancelled.
"We don't perceive there is any government pressure," Young said on Tuesday.
CA chief executive James Sutherland told Australian Broadcasting Corp. Radio: "Will the cancellation of an Australian cricket tour of Zimbabwe change the circumstances of what's going on under Mugabe's regime? I would have thought not.
"What will perhaps change that is a stronger stance by government, the Commonwealth and the broader international community."
