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.

Donnelly via cnet.com.au »