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Australians may have a long wait for an R18+ rating.

Donnelly | February 27, 2008 | News | Gaming Tech/Hardware 
Currently the highest rating of game in Australia is MA15+, which effectively outlaws any game deemed unsuitable for someone under the age 15.

The topic is expected to be raised at the next Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) meeting to be held on March 28.

And according to Home Affairs minister, Bob Debus, it looks as if an R 18+ rating won't be introduced anytime soon.
Game classification remains a thorny issue in Australia, with the lack of an R18+ rating for games resulting in titles such as Dark Sector and Blitz: The League being banned in Australia for extreme violence or inappropriate themes. And while various Australian media outlets are reporting today that a change is soon to come, a decision to introduce an R18+ rating down under still looks like it is months to years away from actually happening.

Some mainstream media in Australia were reporting yesterday that the R18+ rating could soon be introduced for games following the announcement that the R18+ issue would be discussed at the next Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) meeting to be held on March 28. For an R18+ rating to be introduced, all of Australia's State Attorneys-General and the Federal Minister for Home Affairs would have to agree on the change before it can be passed into law. But a spokesperson for the Home Affairs Minister, Bob Debus, said no decision should be expected to come from the March 28 meeting.
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  • 0 thumbs!
    Play ISDF | February 27, 2008
    It would be rather nice if it was introduced cause I'd rather get Dark Sector from the local EBgames rather than going to New Zealand's Gameplanet. Movies get the rating, so why not games?
    • 0 thumbs!
      Ameer | February 29, 2008
      I really couldn't care less tbh. If anything, it allows me to get games which are rated 18+ overseas. Games like GTA all retail here at 15+.

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