MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS AND JUSTICE

MEDIA RELEASE

Wednesday, 10 August  2011

NSW agrees to R18+ classification for computer games

Minister for JusticeBrendan O’Connor today welcomed the decision by NSW to join all jurisdictions in agreeing to create – for the first time – an adult category for computer games inAustralia.   Law Ministers from all jurisdictionsexcept NSW agreed last month to support in-principle the Commonwealth’s proposal to introduce an R18+ classification for computer games in Australia.

The NSW Attorney-General today announced that Cabinet had given its in-principle support for the introduction of the new rating.  The Commonwealth has been advocating for the R18+ classification for some time.

“I am delighted that NSW has decided to support what is not just a practical public policy, but a very popular policy,” Mr O’Connor said.

“The introduction of an R18+ classification for computer games will provide better advice to parents and help prevent children and teenagers from accessing unsuitable material.

“Once introduced, the new classification will also afford adults the opportunity to view material designed for adults.

“It is a credit to all jurisdictions that the meeting has now been able to achieve agreement over what is a complex matter in classification policy.”

A national telephone survey conducted by Galaxy last year showed that 80 per cent of the 2,226 people contacted said they supported the introduction of an adult only category for games.

Draft guidelines presented at the last meeting have since been amended, requiring some jurisdictions to seek approval from their respective Cabinets.  In the meantime, the Commonwealth is preparing to legislate to introduce the new classification.

The proposed Guidelines for the Classification of Computer Games recognise the unique interactive nature of computer games. These changes will ensure that games containing high-level violence are restricted to adults.  Games containing extreme violence will continue to be refused classification and banned from sale altogether.

Media Adviser: Maria
Hawthorne 0407 015 986  maria.hawthorne@ag.gov.au

They highlighted some of the great work they have done recently on Kotaku.

We look forward to hearing more.

To review the principles, click here

The iGEA welcomes the announcement from the ALRC and we look forward to continuing the dialogue on classification reform.

To view the iGEA submission to the ALRC National Classification Review, Response to Issues Paper 40, click here

The ABC interviewed Stuart Smith of Neuroscience Research Australia about some of the work he is doing with the elderly in using video games for rehabilitation.  To watch the segment click here.

Radio ABC 612 interviewed him on a smiliar topic and you can listen to the interview here

There is a great event being held in Brisbane next Tuesday 2 August on this very topic.  For more information, click here

Agreement on R18+ classification for computer games

Minister for Justice Brendan O’Connor today welcomed in-principle agreement by Classification Ministers to create – for the first time – an adult category for computer games in Australia.

Law Ministers from all jurisdictions met in Adelaide today for the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General meeting to decide on the issue, which has been on the agenda for almost a decade.

All jurisdictions, except NSW, agreed in-principle to support the Commonwealth’s proposal to introduce an R18+ classification for computer games in Australia.

The NSW Attorney-General, who has recently taken office, advised the meeting that NSW would abstain from endorsing the proposal and will consider it out of session.

“This is a big step forward in the long running debate on classification of computer games for adults,” Mr O’Connor said.

“The introduction of an R18+ classification for computer games will provide better advice to parents and help prevent children and teenagers from accessing unsuitable material,” he said.

“Once introduced, the new classification will also afford adults the opportunity to view material designed for adults.”

“It is a credit to all jurisdictions that the meeting has now been able to achieve agreement over what is a complex matter in classification policy.”

“I thank all jurisdictions for their support for what is not just a practical public policy, but also very popular policy.”

A national telephone survey conducted by Galaxy last year showed that 80% of the 2,226 people contacted said they supported the introduction of an adult only category for games.

Draft guidelines presented at the last meeting have since been amended and this requires some jurisdictions to seek approval from their respective Cabinets. Once that is achieved the Commonwealth will begin drafting the legislation necessary to introduce the new classification.

The proposed Guidelines for the Classification of Computer Games recognise the unique interactive nature of computer games. These changes will ensure that games containing high-level violence are restricted to adults.  Games containing extreme violence will continue to be refused classification and banned from sale altogether.

Ron Curry, CEO of the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (iGEA), says that today’s outcome is a positive step for the video games industry which has been awaiting an R18+ classification for almost a decade.

“An in-principle agreement for an R18+ classification is a big step towards a robust ratings system that best equips parents to manage their children’s access to appropriate content, as well as enables adults the ability to play games of their choice within the confines of the law,” said Curry.

With eight out of the nine Attorneys-General coming to an in-principle agreement, Curry says he looks forward to discussing the R18+ classification issue with NSW’s Attorney-General Greg Smith who abstained from making a vote today and will consider the issue out of session.

“It is entirely reasonable that each Minister should have taken the necessary time to fully understand the underlying issues and to grasp why Australia so desperately needs an adult classification for video game, and we look forward to entering into a dialogue with NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith.”

“This is the first step in the legislative process and until we can review the final guidelines, we can’t fully assess the impact of an adult rating for games in Australia.  We can be confident however that all content will be subjected to stringent classification guidelines and games which exceed an R18+ classification rating will still be refused classification and banned in Australia,” said Curry.

“With an adult rating finally on the horizon, we can now better focus our energy on more relevant discussions around content classification as entertainment formats and content continue to blur.”

The positive news comes off the back of a government-commissioned survey released by Minister of Home Affairs Brendan O’Connor in December last year which found 80 per cent of the 2,226 respondents interviewed support an R18+ rating and that 91 per cent of adults would clearly know that game classified R18+ would be unsuitable for children.