Michael Atkinson Re-Ignites R18+ Debate

Friday, November 7th, 2008

The indomitable Jason Hill over at The Age blog Screenplay is reporting that South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson has agreed to make public the discussion paper on the proposed introduction of an R18+ rating for games in Australia.

This backflip comes just over a week after Mr. Atkinson withdrew his support for a public consultation on the issue. Yesterday however, at the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General meeting in Brisbane, Victorian Attorney-General Rob Hull – a long time supporter of the introduction of an R18+ rating – was able to achieve a consensus with fellow ministers. His spokeswoman Meaghan Shaw announced that the paper would be finalised by the end of the year, with a view to Australia-wide distribution.

Although Mr. Atkinson did not reveal why he reversed his position, this is a fantastic first step for the introduction of an R18+ rating in Australia and Mr. Hull is to be congratulated for his diplomacy and forward-thinking. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for the discussion paper in the weeks to come.

Source: “Yes” – minister (Jason Hill, The Age)

Michael Atkinson Stifles R18+ Debate

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson, long standing opponent of the introduction of an R18+ rating for games in Australia, has officially withdrawn his support for a discussion paper and public consultation on the issue.

Jason Hill writes in The Age today that in March the Attorneys-General agreed in principle to canvas public opinion and develop a public discussion paper on the issue, but that Mr. Atkinson has now refused to agree to make the report public, effectively stifling the issue completely. Though the issue is still officially on the agenda at the upcoming Standing Committee of Attorneys-General meeting, the introduction of the much-needed R18+ rating would require the unanimous support of all Attorneys-General. With Mr. Atkinson now refusing to even discuss the issue, change is unlikely to happen any time soon.

With overwhelming community support for an R18+ rating for video games, we can only wonder why Mr. Atkinson continues to defend his increasingly untenable position.

Source: Censoring the Censorship Debate (Jason Hill, The Age)