Page 795 - Week 03 - Thursday, 25 March 1993
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"mature audiences" and there will be restrictions on persons under 15 years of age in relation to gaining access to videos carrying that classification. Material classified as MA is that which contains coarse language or depictions of sex or violence likely to disturb, harm or offend those under 15 years of age. The MA classification will be placed between M and R for films and videos. There is also a proposal to extend the classification into television broadcasting, which has a slightly different classification system - that is, C, PG and AO. Television regulation is, however, exclusively a Commonwealth responsibility.
The Commonwealth has now gazetted the Classification of Publications (Amendment) Ordinance 1992 to establish the new classification of MA which is expected to come into effect on 1 May 1993. To recognise the new classification, this Bill amends the Publications Control Act 1989 to introduce regulatory measures to restrict the display, hire or sale of videos to persons under the age of 15 years. This means that the local video shop will have to apply the same restrictions as are now applied to R-rated videos, the applicable age in this case, though, being 15 years. Mr Deputy Speaker, I also ask you to note that the legislative amendments will have a standard delayed commencement so that the commencement coincides with the commencement by the Commonwealth of its new MA classification scheme on 1 May 1993. I now present the explanatory memorandum for the Bill.
Debate (on motion by Mr Humphries) adjourned.
FILM CLASSIFICATION (AMENDMENT) BILL 1993
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Community Services and Minister for Urban Services) (10.57): Mr Deputy Speaker, I present the Film Classification (Amendment) Bill 1993.
Title read by Clerk.
MR CONNOLLY: Mr Deputy Speaker, I move:
That this Bill be agreed to in principle.
As stated in my presentation speech for the Publications Control (Amendment) Bill 1993, the ACT Government has expressed its support for the Prime Minister's initiative to introduce a new MA classification for films and videos. To put this support into effect, we also need to amend the Film Classification Act 1971 to recognise this new classification in relation to films exhibited in cinemas or other places where a person under the age of 15 years is capable of seeing the film. The Film Classification Act 1971 is amended to further regulate access by minors to the cinema. Children under 15 years will not be admitted to the cinema to see an MA film unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. A child of up to two years is exempted as a babe in arms.
Mr Deputy Speaker, cinema management may argue that they will be unable to police the access by minors because of the difficulty in ascertaining the age of 15-year-olds, particularly as this age group seldom has proof of age documentation. They may also claim that they will have difficulty in ascertaining whether a parent or guardian is the true parent or guardian. In fact, cinema
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