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.

Minister For Home Affairs And Justice – The Hon Brendan O’Connor MP

Saturday, 5 March 2011

Minister for Justice Brendan O’Connor says July will be the time for Classification Ministers to decide on introducing an R 18+ classification for computer games.

“Australians who’ve been following this debate will know that this issue has been on the table for many years, without the necessary progress to make a change,” Mr O’Connor said.

“Last year the Gillard Government declared its position and it’s time for all States and Territories to declare their hand on this issue.

“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.

At today’s Standing Committee of Attorneys-General in Wellington, draft guidelines for the classification of computer games were tabled. The guidelines were requested at the last SCAG meeting in December.

The draft guidelines:

•             provide appropriate safeguards to restrict the availability of material that’s unsuitable for children

•             address the difference in nature between films and computer games, especially in terms of interactivity

•             ensure that the Refused Classification category is retained.

The introduction of an R 18+ classification must be agreed by all State and Territory Classification Ministers. No final decision could be made at today’s meeting as the New South Wales government is in pre-election caretaker mode.

“I anticipate that my State and Territory counterparts will further consider the draft guidelines and seek their Governments’ position on an R 18+ classification before the next meeting in July,” Mr O’Connor said.

“When making their decision, I urge State and Territory Governments to consider the value of an adults only rating in helping to protect children from unsuitable content as well as the strong public support for this move,” Mr O’Connor said.

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 adults only category for games.

The next SCAG meeting will be held on 21 and 22 July in Adelaide.

For more information about classification visit www.classification.gov.au.

Media Adviser: Jayne Stinson 0458 547 512 jayne.stinson@ag.gov.au

Ron Curry, CEO of the iGEA, says, “It’s disappointing that an adult rating for video games will be delayed once again despite mass support from the Australian community, whether it is from adult gamers who want the right to play games that appeal to them or parents who want clear guidelines for their children.”

We are however pleased that the industry has been given the opportunity to put forward its arguments for an adult rating and encouraged by the tremendous support the issue has received from the Federal Government, and the active engagement by each Attorney General at today’s meeting on the issue.   We’re hopeful that the weight of evidence and the comprehensive research into the matter will ensure an adult rating is introduced when the Attorney-Generals reconvene,” said Curry. 

The SCAG meeting follows several announcements made earlier this week by Minister of Home Affairs Brendan O’Connor highlighting the Gillard Government’s evidence based support for an R18+ classification for video games.  This study is in line with a range of polls conducted in the last 12 months which show mass support in favour of an R18+ rating for games:

The public consultation conducted earlier this year found 98.4 per cent of submissions were in favour of an R18+ classification for video games

• News Limited’s poll shows 95.5 per cent of respondents vote for an R18+ classification and 4 per cent vote against it[i]
• A poll conducted by Fairfax indicates 97 per cent of respondents believe Australia should introduce an R18+ rating for video games and 3 per cent are against it[ii]
• A Channel 7 Sunrise’s poll reveals 97 per cent of respondents would like R18+ games permitted in Australia and 3 per cent would not[iii]
• Furthermore, the Interactive Australia 09 report by Bond University found that 91 per cent of gamers and non-gamers believe the classification should be introduced and that 91 per cent of adults would clearly know that game classified R18+ would be unsuitable for children[iv].

Despite the majority votes by the community, Australia remains the only developed nation without an R18+ classification for video games and a classification system which is inconsistent across various media.  “While there are some opponents who argue an R18+ rating will only give children access to high level content, this is simply not true.  Content that exceeds the guidelines required for an R18+ classification will still be refused classification and banned in Australia.”

“An R18+ rating for video games will go a long way in helping parents make informed decisions about the games their children play and also provide more consistent guidelines aligned with other forms of media,” said Curry.

This latest news comes fresh off the back of a series of ‘How to set-up Parental Controls’ videos released by the iGEA this week.  The videos, hosted by iGEA ambassador and ABC sports presenter Stephanie Brantz, provides tips to ensure parents only allow children to play games that are age appropriate and for a healthy amount of time.

The video series can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/user/igeavideo?feature=mhum#p/u

-Ends-

[i] News Limited, 2010, ‘Do you want an R18+ for games?’ <http://www.news.com.au/technology/eb-games-petitions-for-r18-video-games-classification/story-e6frfro0-1225826969923>

[ii] Fairfax Digital, 2009, ‘Should Australia introduce an R18+ for video games?’, <http://www.smh.com.au/polls/results.html>

[iii] Yahoo7!, 2009, ‘Would you like R18+ rated games permitted?’ <http://post.polls.yahoo.com/quiz/quizresults.php?poll_id=50754>

[iv] Interactive Australia 2009, National Research prepared by Professor J. Brand, Bond University for the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia, 2008, <www.igea.net/category/industry-research>

Of those that responded, 98.4% voiced support for an R18+ computer game classification.

To see the official release and comments, click here

“We want to provide better guidance for parents and remove unsuitable material from children and teenagers. The introduction of an R18+ classification will help achieve that.”

The announcement comes ahead of Friday’s Standing Committee of Attorneys-General meeting, where Classification Ministers will be asked to make a decision on the issue.

“We believe that this is the right decision for Australian families and the right decision for parents who want to be able to make informed choices about the games their children play.”

“Children and teenagers shouldn’t be exposed to the gratuitous sex, violence and adult themes that are contained in some computer games,” Mr O’Connor said.

“There are dozens of games that are currently classified as MA15+ in Australia, but in other countries these gaming titles are restricted to adults only.

“If the new category is introduced, it could result in computer games that are currently classified MA15+ being reclassified R18+, providing a new level of protection for children.”

“Games that are currently refused classification and do not meet the standard required for R18+ classification will remain in the refused classification category.”

The argument for a new adult classification is backed by research, some of which has been released in recent weeks. (For details visit www.ag.gov.au/gamesclassification).

The latest available data is a Galaxy survey, requested by the Standing Committee of Attorneys- General in May to assist Ministers in their decision making.

The national telephone survey shows that 80% of the 2,226 people contacted said they support the introduction of an R18+ classification for games.

“This survey also reflects the community feedback that I and many members of the Gillard Government have received from our constituents in recent years,” he said.

The national survey found that, of those surveyed:

Support was strong across all States and Territories:

The survey results build on the recent public consultation, where 98% of about 57,000 people supported the introduction of an adult classification.

Australia’s most restrictive classification for video games is currently MA15+. Games that do not satisfy this category are refused classification and cannot be brought into Australia.

An R18+ classification for computer games can only be introduced with the agreement of all Commonwealth, State and Territory Ministers.

Media Adviser: Jayne Stinson 0458 547 512 jayne.stinson@ag.gov.au

The poll covered 2,226 respondents aged 16 years and over from all Australian States and Territories.

The poll asked participants to indicate how strongly they agreed or disagreed with a number of statements relevant to an R 18+ classification, then answer the question ‘Should there be an R 18+ classification category for computer games in Australia?’ These poll questions are included in the report which is available for download.

A wide range of demographics were covered, including; age, gender, capital cities (versus elsewhere), work status, marital status, household income, children under 18 years in the household and level of education (below year 12 and year 12+). Age, gender and location demographics were weighted to reflect the latest ABS population estimates.

Download the telephone poll results:

• Telephone poll results [PDF 488KB]