ADDITIONAL COMMENTS BY THE AUSTRALIAN GREENS

1.1        The Australian Greens are supportive of the aims of the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Amendment (R18+ Computer Games) Bill 2012, on the basis that adults should be able to view content whether or not it may be suitable for children.

1.2        The issue has been under discussion for many years and has been the subject of a number of extensive surveys and consultations. The Greens note the government's haste given the Bill was introduced to the House of Representatives on 15 February and the Committee was expected to conduct an inquiry in 11 working days. 

1.3        Bringing games into Australia's classification system and aligning all materials into the one classification system does make sense.  Harmonising the system to clearly label and classify games will assist parental supervision of children and minors – as long as the interpretation of the various categories is consistent and appealable.

1.4        The importance of educated and informed parental supervision is only enhanced in the face of research in the academic and professional community on the impact of immersive games on children.

1.5        Organisations like the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Paediatrics and evidence in academic research cited in submissions counters the government's September 2010 assertion that there is no conclusive evidence that video games have a greater impact on minors.

1.6        While the jury is out, we have a responsibility to deliberately and carefully protect children and a clear classification system can only assist in this task.

1.7        As the Committee has noted, the actual substance and consequence of this Bill lie in the guidelines that will determine how content is classified.  Some submitters to the Inquiry indicated that their ability to engage with the Bill and assess its consequences is limited in the absence of final guidelines, and the Committee found itself in the same position.

1.8        Once they become public, the Greens will evaluate the guidelines to ensure that the process offers an opportunity to revaluate and modify the material currently available in the MA15+ bracket that might be better suited to the R18+ category. Nearly all submitters, including those representing gamers, acknowledged that the introduction of the R18+ category should be used to reclassify material that had been wrongfully amalgamated with material classified MA15+.

1.9        The WA Children's Commissioner and others made specific suggestions for the guidelines that are worthy of consideration.

Recommendation 1

1.10      The Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee examine the guidelines and consult with relevant organisations and experts to ensure they indeed practically implement the intentions of the Bill.