What is it with Australians and video games?We've been discussing a question related to this on Wilful's thread on Australian carbon tax, and I think there are a few things that need stressing for the North Americans on mefi trying to understand the issue of classification in this country.
Adults should be free to purchase whatever they like!Is not one that Australians would endorse without qualification. I don't (although I do agree that there needs to be radical reform of the way classification is done, and there should be an R18+ classification for games).
Australians are strongly in favour of an R18+ classification for computer games, but possibly for different reasons among different sections of the community.posted by Fiasco da Gama at 9:52 PM on February 24, 2011 [5 favorites]
When we say "free speech" isn't a value, what we mean is that we don't define it the way Americans doPrecisely, harriet. It's not that the Australian political culture doesn't value free speech, it values it highly. It's simply that we don't value it in a foundational document, or outside the context of other implied rights, such as living in a society of mutual respect and dignity (to crib from the Immigration Department's appalling pamphlet of clichés).
'She'll be right, mate' isn't a political philosophyOn the contrary, it's an extremely powerful one. One of the things about the Australian settlement which is invaluable and infuriating at the same time is that it values compromise, shared dignity and agreed coexistence above almost everything else. We tend to treat issues like free speech as matters of regulation, cross-jurisdictional State-Territory consultation and the policy reform process, whereas in places like the United States free speech is a matter of violent existential crisis (and expensive lawyers).
I like I'm in one of those Creepy Small Towns right when they explain that We Do Things Differently Here, and won't you stay for the Red Hour?7.30pm AEST, an hour earlier in SA and Perth. Queenslanders may adjust their clocks according to the Daylight Savings Time in other States.
The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.Not that this hasn't kept people from doing just that, but it's there and it tries.
for the average person in states and territories excepting Western Australia, it is not illegal to posess games that have been refused classification.It goes on to say that Customs might seize your parcel if you try to get, for example, Mortal Kombat posted from amazon.co.uk for approximately AUD$60 plus shipping. The downside is you can't trade it in.
The Customs spokesperson said someone caught trying to import RCed games into Australia could expect a fine of up to three times the value of the product, or AU$110,000, whichever is greater.Not sure how that equates to $11. Are you saying the game is only worth AUD3.66?
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor says after a decade of debate, it is crunch time.So several people at the federal level are tired of this crap, don't want adults fined for importing games for their own use, and want it sorted out at a lower level within the next 6 months or else they'll sort it out at their higher level.
"We're becoming the laughing stock of the developed world, where we're the only country that doesn't have an R18 classification level for video games.
"I foreshadow that if there is not a consensus around this issue, the Commonwealth will certainly be considering other options because we cannot continue to have an outdated classification system that's actually, in my view, causing harm to young people."
The Federal Government says reforming the system will help protect children, inform parents and give adult gamers more choice.
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posted by Ardiril at 9:12 PM on February 24, 2011 [2 favorites]