Australia is all but set to undergo a change in its national classification system, following today’s Standing Committee of Attorney-Generals (SCAG) meeting, to discuss the introduction of an adults-only classification that Australian gamers have been requesting for nearly a decade.
Eight out of the nine censorship ministers representing their respective state governments have agreed "in principle" to the proposed classification guidelines put forth by the Australian Federal Government, while New South Wales Attorney-General, Greg Smith, has asked for additional time to confer with the NSW cabinet, stating that his government has been recently elected into office, but has assured Aussie gamers that he and his government "will not take long to decide".
John Rau, South Australian Attorney-General, has given his support for the introduction of an R18+ classification, but is insistant on removing the MA15+ classification in the state of South Australia entirely, saying that change at a Federal level does not affect how each state chooses to govern its own classification system.
Surprisingly, the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) has "cautiously welcomed" the decision to introduce an adults-only classification, saying that the censorship ministers have upheld and strengthened the barriers that prevent children from accessing excplicitly violent and sexual material in video games.
Home Affairs Minister and Federal Attorney-General, Brendan O’Connor, has said that the outcome of todays SCAG meeting will allow him to formally begin the introduction of an R18+ classification for games in Australia, and hopes to see it come into effect within the next few months.
On a personal level, I am relieved to see this finally happen. I am glad that after a decade of delay, that action is finally being taken, allowing both Australian gamers and the Australian Government to move forward.