R18+ rating for Australia back on the table

R18+ rating for Australia back on the table

http://games.on.net/article/4415/R18_rating_for_Australia_back_on_the_table_for_2009

A week ago, it seemed like the quest for Australia to have an adult R18+ rating for video games was over, with South Australian attorney-general Michael Atkinson effectively censoring the censorship debate by refusing to release a discussion paper that would gather public opinion on the topic.

Today, we've heard that our hopes may not be as squashed as we thought, with Mr. Atkinson performing a political backflip on the paper, which we now hear should be ready for discussion "early next year".

While originally refusing to reveal just what he objected to in the original paper, Mr. Atkinson has now made the allegation that the submitted paper was "biased", and "did not adequately represent both sides of the argument". As a result, he has now asked the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General if he could make some "minor" changes to the draft. The Committee has agreed, and have given him a due date of November 30th to get the edited copy back to the ministers.

A spokeswoman for the Australian Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus, the Commonwealth censorship minister, explained:

"We're disappointed there was no resolution, but we're hopeful that it will be ready by the 30th of november, and that we can begin seeking public consultation early next year."​

The plan is to make the discussion paper publicly accessible via the internet, as well as providing copies to relevant parties - such as games industry groups and family associations, to canvas public opinion on the topic.

"The government hasn't formed a view on this issue, but we'd like to seek the community's views, especially those of parents, and if we can get in place a better system that allows them to make better informed decisions about the games their children are playing, then that's a good thing!"​

Currently in this country, the video games rating system matches the one for films, but anything considered a "stronger impact" than appropriate for an MA15+ rating is refused classification - effectively banned. As we reported late last month, the recently released Interactive Australia 2009 report shows that more than 90% of Australian adults (comprised of both gamers and non-gamers) believe that Australia should have an R18+ rating for video games. This number is up from the already-impressive 88% in the 2007 survey.

Now - remember, if you're in South Australia, this issue will be debated on the ABC's Stateline South Australia program this evening at 7:30pm, repeated tomorrow at 12 noon - complete with a scheduled interview with Michael Atkinson himself. If you're not in South Australia, we're currently in discussion with the ABC regarding hosting the segment, so you can hopefully see it too!