Screenplay has reported that South Australian Attorney-General, Michael Atkinson, has withdrawn his support for a discussion paper on the R18+ rating for games in Australia, dashing any hopes for the rating.
The muchly awaited drafted discussion paper on the R rating was sent out to the ministers last month with a discussion and consultation planned for groups and the public to voice their views to follow, but the withdrawal of Michael Atkinson's support means that any progress on the R rating classification has effectively stalled. Michael Atkinson has been a long opponent of the introduction of the R rating classification which he believes will be harmful to children. From Screenplay...
Spokesperson for Mr Hulls (Victorian Attorney-General), Meaghan Shaw, said "whilst the issue is still formally on the SCAG (Standing Committee of Attorneys-General) agenda, it now appears unlikely that there will be unanimity from all jurisdictions to proceed further at this stage with introducing an R18+ category for computer games."
The news has caused outrage from the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia (IEAA), who have slammed the South Australian Attorney-General for "censoring the debate on censorship".
A recent survey conducted by Bond University and the IEAA found an enormous support for the introduction of the R18+ rating, with 90 per cent of the Australian adults surveyed believe there should be such a rating for games in Australia.
For all the details, head on over to Screenplay.
Democracy!
Democracy: Where one man holds back what 90% of what the public wants.
Wait, what?
It's simple...
Write a letter/email to your local AG
http://www.r18games.com
Tell them that the current system is putting GTA into the hands of teenagers - ironically the opposite of it's design!