Footnotes

CHAPTER 1 - Introduction

[1]        House of Representatives Hansard, 15 February 2012, pp 8-9.

[2]        Journals of the Senate, No. 79-1 March 2012, p. 2188.

[3]        Journals of the Senate, No. 81-14 March 2012, p. 2240.

[4]        Intergovernmental Agreement on Censorship, 28 November 1995, Part VI–Amendment of Codes and Guidelines, clause 9.  Also see sections 6 and 12 of the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995.

[5]        Subsection 7(3) of the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995.

[6]        Games which exceed the MA 15+ category are classified RC (Refused Classification), meaning that they are effectively banned.

[7]        National Classification Code (2005), clause 4, item 2.

[8]        Part 1 of Schedule 1 of the Bill.

[9]        Explanatory Memorandum, p. 1.

[10]      Part 2 of Schedule 1 of the Bill.

[11]      Clause 2 of the Bill.

CHAPTER 2 - Key issues

[1]        The discussion paper is available online at: http://www.ag.gov.au/Consultationsreformsandreviews/Pages/Archive/AnR18ClassificationforComputerGames.aspx (accessed 16 March 2012).

[2]        Submissions were invalidated where: they could not be read; a submission contained contradictory information; or no personal information was provided.

[3]        Attorney-General's Department, Final Report on the public consultation on the possible introduction of an R 18+ classification for computer games, November 2010, p. 6.

[4]        Galaxy Research, Report: Community Attitudes to R18+ Classification of Computer Games, November 2010, Part 3 Questionnaire, Question A7.

[5]        See: http://www.ag.gov.au/Consultationsreformsandreviews/Pages/Archive/AnR18ClassificationforComputerGames.aspx (accessed 16 March 2012).

[6]        Galaxy Research, Report: Community Attitudes to R18+ Classification of Computer Games, November 2010, Part 2 Main Findings. Eighteen per cent of respondents did not support the introduction of a R 18+ classification for computer games in Australia.

[7]        See Interactive Games and Entertainment Association, Submission 1; Australian Council on Children and the Media, Submission 3; Commissioner for Children and Young People, Western Australia, Submission 4; Australian Christian Lobby, Submission 8; and FamilyVoice Australia, Submission 10.

[8]        Australian Law Reform Commission, Classification–Content Regulation and Convergent Media (Report No. 118), 29 February 2012, p. 33.

[9]        The Hon. Nicola Roxon MP, Attorney-General and the Hon. Jason Clare MP, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Justice, Australian Law Reform Commission Review of Classification Released, Joint Media Release, 1 March 2012.

[10]      Australian Law Reform Commission, Classification–Content Regulation and Convergent Media (Report No. 118), 29 February 2012, Recommendations 5-1 and 5-2.

[11]      Australian Law Reform Commission, Classification–Content Regulation and Convergent Media, 29 February 2012.

[12]      The Hon. Nicola Roxon MP, Attorney-General and the Hon. Jason Clare MP, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Justice, Australian Law Reform Commission Review of Classification Released, Media Release,1 March 2012. The Convergence Review is an independent review established by the Australian Government to examine the policy and regulatory frameworks that apply to the converged media and communications landscape in Australia: see http://www.dbcde.gov.au/digital_economy/convergence_review (accessed 16 March 2012).

[13]      Standing Committee of Attorneys-General, Communiqué, 21 & 22 July 2011, available at: http://www.scag.gov.au/lawlink/SCAG/ll_scag.nsf/vwFiles/SCAG_Communique_21-22_July_2011_FINAL.pdf/$file/SCAG_Communique_21-22_July_2011_FINAL.pdf  (accessed 16 March 2012).

[14]      Standing Committee of Attorneys-General, Communiqué, 21 & 22 July 2011, available at: http://www.scag.gov.au/lawlink/SCAG/ll_scag.nsf/vwFiles/SCAG_Communique_21-22_July_2011_FINAL.pdf/$file/SCAG_Communique_21-22_July_2011_FINAL.pdf  (accessed 16 March 2012).

[15]      Standing Committee of Attorneys-General, see http://www.scag.gov.au/lawlink/scag/ll_scag.nsf/pages/scag_censorship (accessed 16 March 2012).

[16]      Attorney-General's Department, Submission 9, p. 2.

[17]      Ms Jane Fitzgerald, Attorney-General's Department, Committee Hansard, 15 March 2012, p. 2. Also see Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, Submission 5.

[18]      Intergovernmental Agreement on Censorship, 28 November 1995, Part VI–Amendment of Codes and Guidelines, subclause 9(a).

[19]      Intergovernmental Agreement on Censorship, 28 November 1995, Part VI–Amendment of Codes and Guidelines, subclause 9(b).

[20]      See: http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/classification.nsf/Page/InformationCentre_ProposeddraftGuidelinesforR18+ComputerGames (accessed 16 March 2012).

[21]      See: http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/classification.nsf/Page/InformationCentre_ProposeddraftGuidelinesforR18+ComputerGames (accessed 16 March 2012). The website gives no indication of the reasons why some respondents did not support the Draft Guidelines.

[22]      Intergovernmental Agreement on Censorship, 28 November 1995, Part VI–Amendment of Codes and Guidelines, subclause 9(c); Standing Committee of Attorneys-General, Communiqué, 21 & 22 July 2011, available at: http://www.scag.gov.au/lawlink/SCAG/ll_scag.nsf/vwFiles/SCAG_Communique_21-22_July_2011_FINAL.pdf/$file/SCAG_Communique_21-22_July_2011_FINAL.pdf  (accessed 16 March 2012); Attorney-General's Department, Submission 9, p. 2.

[23]      Attorney-General's Department, Submission 9, p. 2; Ms Jane Fitzgerald, Attorney-General's Department, Committee Hansard, 15 March 2012, p. 2.

[24]      Submission 9, p. 2.

[25]      Ms Jane Fitzgerald, Attorney-General's Department, Committee Hansard, 15 March 2012, pp 2-3.

[26]      Intergovernmental Agreement on Censorship, 28 November 1995, Part VI–Amendment of Codes and Guidelines, subclause 9(d).

[27]      Submission 6, p. 2.

[28]      Submission 3, p. 2.

[29]      A computer game cannot be reclassified within two years of a classification decision by the Classification Board: see sections 38 and 39 of the Act.

[30]      Submission 8, p. 4.

[31]      Submission 10, p. 4.

[32]      Submission 1, p. 2.

[33]      Ms Jane Fitzgerald, Attorney-General's Department, Committee Hansard, 15 March 2012, p. 3.

[34]      Ms Jane Fitzgerald, Attorney-General's Department, Committee Hansard, 15 March 2012, pp 3-4.

[35]      Ms Jane Fitzgerald, Attorney-General's Department, Committee Hansard, 15 March 2012, p. 5.

[36]      Attorney-General's Department, Submission 9, p. 2.

[37]      Submission 9, p. 2; Ms Jane Fitzgerald, Attorney-General's Department, Committee Hansard, 15 March 2012, p. 5.