AU Senator Makes Plea for R18+ Before Parliament

Kate Lundy, Senator from the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), and a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), (the same party as game hating ex-Attorney General Michael Atkinson), stood up in front of Parliament and argued for the introduction of an R18+ videogame rating.

Senator Lundy tabled, or proposed for consideration, a pro-R18+ petition sponsored by retailer GAME and the organization Everyone Plays which featured 89,210 signatures backing the adult videogame rating.

Stating that R18+ “is not a decision to be made by the Government,” but that “it is a decision that requires agreement among the Federal and State Attorneys General around the nation,” Lundy cited three key factors for the introduction of R18+.

The Senator stated that the lack of an R18+ rating creates a “grey area” for parents and that the new rating tier would allow Australia “to catch up with the rest of the world,” which she called a “significant issue” for game developers and publishers.

She continued:

With many games originally developed for an adult audience, this represents an additional burden for our Australian games sector. As a result, many of these games are simply banned for sale or distribution in Australia as a result giving rise to the temptation of overseas purchase, or worse, illicit distribution in Australia.

Lastly, Lundy argued that the government should listen to the people, citing the petition, a research paper indicating that 91 percent of the entire AU population supports R18+ and the backing of  ACT Attorney General Simon Corbell, who believes that the R18+ classification would “ensure that games with adult content are sold only to adults and that the purchasers are fully aware of the content of the games.”

Thanks David!