Out of step?

Australia is "out of step" with the rest of the developed world due to its lack of an R18+ rating for videogames, Victorian Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls says.

The Deputy Premier's strong critique comes after Australia's Federal, State, and Territory Attorneys-General met last week and agreed on starting a public consultation process to explore the games classification issue. Currently, the top rating available for video games in Australia is MA15+, as opposed to R18+ for films and DVD. Any title deemed unsuitable for the MA15+ rating is illegal for sale in this country.

Australia's Federal Government has still not decided on whether it supports the introduction of an R18+ rating for video games, saying it first wants to gather community opinion before formalizing its stance. A spokeswoman for Federal Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus says the Government will soon ask for community submissions about whether Australia needs to expand games classification to include an R18+ rating. The spokeswoman said the Minister was particularly keen to hear from parents to see if an R18+ rating would further "empower" them. No date has been set for the start of the consultation process.

For any change to the ratings system to be made, all of Australia's government Attorneys-General will have to agree on the decision. South Australian Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Multicultural Affairs Michael Atkinson has consistently opposed an R18+ rating. "I do not want children to be able to get their hands on R18+ games easily. I understand that the lack of an R18+ classification denies some adults the chance to play some games, however, the need to keep potentially harmful material away from children is far more important." Atkinson said in a recent parliamentary statement.