EveryonePlays: Brendan O’Connor Invites EveryonePlays to Canberra

PALGN Feature | Campaign for an R18+ PC and Video Game classification gains momentum.

After the most recent Standing Committee of Attorneys-General meeting in Canberra, no firm decision was made on the implementation of an R18+ classification for mature content in video games. Instead, the State Attorneys-General decided to mull over the issue and begin the process of developing guidelines for further consideration.

Progress may have stagnated somewhat, but overall, we have never been in a better position, with the Commonwealth Government agreeing in principle that Australia’s current classification system needs reform. This week, EveryonePlays was invited to Canberra for an audience with the Minister for Home Affairs, Brendan O’Connor.

At the meeting, the Minister crucially reaffirmed his support for change. The Minister also kindly directed EveryonePlays to the next steps in our vital campaign to improve Australia’s broken classification system.

Rest assured, we will keep you updated as we move towards this important goal.

In the meantime, we’ll leave it to your judgement who you think from these photos – featuring Ron Curry, CEO of the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association, and Ministers Christian Porter and Simon Corbell, Attorney Generals for WA and ACT respectively – are in favour of an R18+ video game rating. Of course, Ron Curry is...

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EveryonePlays: Petitions Presented to Federal Home Affairs Minister – Part 5
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08 Apr, 2010 With only a few days to go, we have a petition update for you.

19 Comments

NMANOZ

1 year ago

Lets hope it finally happens before the next gen consoles are out.

Benza

1 year ago

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In the meantime, we’ll leave it to your judgment who you think from these photos are in favor of an R18+ video game rating.

[quote]

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Of course, Ron Curry is

SPOILER ALERTS! JEEZ!

Balguren

1 year ago

Nothing is going to happen in March liek they agreed which is very predicatable have a read this is from gamespot au. http://au.gamespot.com/news/6299099.html?tag=latestheadlines%3Btitle%3B1

Looks like NSW is the one delaying it this time.... This is getting very old and unless they do fix this sales of video games in AUS will drop even further due to importing and piracy...Guess money dont mean everything to them as they are losing enough of it.

Balguren

1 year ago

oops Like wasnt paying attention to keyboard a sec there lol not liek lol

light487

1 year ago

They are obviously getting kickbacks from somewhere.. when all reason is lost, it's generally money that is oiling the wheel... there's just no good reason to not have the rating, ergo.. kickbacks.

Yes.. it's a very basic and minimalistic way of putting it.. but I am tired of the arguement and everyone knows what is really going on... as to which lobbyist groups are involved, well.. that's open to speculation.. but just think which lobbyist groups have the most wealth and power.. doesn't take long to work it out for yourself.

drinniol

1 year ago

Right. Because a politician doesn't agree with you he's obviously corrupt. Asshat. You're part of the problem.

When people who are worried about the impact of violence get death threats from gamers, is that not a good reason to wait for further investigation?

Fetidchimp

1 year ago

not particularly no....how many more investigations do they need.

did we all send death threats to them, i would think that we all would have if games had an impact on our severely demented minds.

How many responsible, thought out submissions did they get that weren't death threats.....what 60 000 real submissions are cancelled out by one or two people sending death threats?

Benza

1 year ago

drinniol wrote

Right. Because a politician doesn't agree with you he's obviously corrupt. Asshat.

When politicians ignore the will of the people that elected them, then yes they are corrupt. Since you know, the whole purpose of there existence is to carry the will of the people.

JP2daMC

1 year ago

Benza wrote

drinniol wrote

Right. Because a politician doesn't agree with you he's obviously corrupt. Asshat.

When politicians ignore the will of the people that elected them, then yes they are corrupt. Since you know, the whole purpose of there existence is to carry the will of the people.

You may need to look up the definition of corrupt if that's what you think it means. Sometime I go to work and don't do the job I'm paid to do, but I wouldn't say that makes me corrupt. Lazy or incompetent perhaps, but not corrupt.

Death threats, baseless accusations of kickbacks and corruption...I'm starting to think that perhaps some of us aren't mature enough for an R rating yet.

evil_kenshin

1 year ago

the reason they don't want to bring it in is due to they know the australian christian lobby will be bombarding them with noisy phone messages to complain; the ACL is a very noisy minority with to much power (some catholic bishops group was in support of the R18+ they got bombarded with phone calls from the ACL)

Benza

1 year ago

JP2daMC wrote

Benza wrote

drinniol wrote

Right. Because a politician doesn't agree with you he's obviously corrupt. Asshat.

When politicians ignore the will of the people that elected them, then yes they are corrupt. Since you know, the whole purpose of there existence is to carry the will of the people.

I think there's a difference between being lazy and incompetent and actively blocking a movement that lots of people want. Implying there's some reason they don't want to.

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baseless accusations of kickbacks and corruption...I'm starting to think that perhaps some of us aren't mature enough for an R rating yet.

Baseless? They're pollys?

Esposch

1 year ago

Wouldn't it be better to scrap mandatory OFLC ratings altogether? In this age of downloadable indie games, it can make it entirely unprofitable to release games down here. Shantae not coming out here is a bigger loss than L4D2 being censored.

Karai Pantsu

1 year ago

Wow, people getting butthurt over someone suggesting a politician is corrupt? We officially have too much time on our hands, here...

JP2daMC

1 year ago

Butthurt....okay if you say so.

Politicians are a lot of things, but accusations of corruption are pretty serious. In fact, it's the worst thing you could accuse them - or anyone - of. It's also the easiest. You don't agree with me, you must be corrupt. Some people also seem to forget that many parts of Australia are conservative so some of those AGs are representing their states.

As fun as conspiracy theories are, this is Australia. In most cases corruption is found out pretty quickly in politicians (some people will find it hard to believe, but they are monitored heavily) and pollies are sacked regularly for trivial things like slightly misusing their travel allowance (and who hasn't done that in their job at some stage?). It's generally not as blatant as "Christian group give me money, I not vote for R rating".

Political parties do get funding from certain Christian groups, but generally that funding goes more towards Liberal and conservative parties rather than Labor. However, even Labor Govts are blocking the R rating. Normally one party would be saying "You don't want an R rating? You must hate Australia!". But they aren't.

That alone should open our eyes to the fact that this is an issue that is beyond normal political party lines and "corruption".

Espoche - I think one of the ideas the AGs are looking at is for industry regulation as happens overseas. I think that's the reasons the delays have been so long (other than state elections and changing AGs) is that the AGs really are looking at all options including a complete overhaul of the ratings system and industry regulation and wanting more time to investigate the issue.

Hyper had a pretty good article about it which was rather mature on the issue.

Karai Pantsu

1 year ago

I do say so - you had a go at the guy over the comment...

Roland

1 year ago

We hit a big milestone... Brendan O'Connor is on our side. The PALGN community can claim a victory! We push on...

light487

1 year ago

Fetidchimp wrote

how many more investigations do they need.

This is truly the crux of the matter "for me".. not for everyone.. but for me, it seems like this is like watching grass grow only to have it cut just as it gets to a critical point..

Slowly, slowly it will come.. not doubt it will come eventually.

Fly

1 year ago

light487 wrote

It largely boils down to what you expected from the process, for me it was never really about immediate reform of a broken system it was about a shift in ideology between the generations. Have we forgotten Atkinson already? The man who highlighted that gamers were as bad as bikie gangs? The words being thrown around the supporters of the reform were rapists? prone to violence? Gangs? We now come to a shift with regards tot he ideology that we aren't just wanting more smut or more violence to sate an innate primal hunger.

Shift the ideology and you pave the way for lasting reform, in order to shift the ideology however it does take time.