Australian Classification Review Board

The Australian Classification Review Board is a statutory

Statute

A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...

censorship

Censorship

thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...

and classification body overseen by the Australian Government

Government of Australia

The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...

which can review classification decisions made by the Australian Classification Board

Australian Classification Board

The Australian Classification Board is a statutory classification body formed by the Australian Government which classifies films, video games and publications for exhibition, sale or hire in Australia since its establishment in 1970. The Australian Classification Board was originally incorporated...

concerning film

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

s, video games and publication

Publication

To publish is to make content available to the public. While specific use of the term may vary among countries, it is usually applied to text, images, or other audio-visual content on any medium, including paper or electronic publishing forms such as websites, e-books, Compact Discs and MP3s...

s for exhibition, sale or hire in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Review decisions need to be initiated by an appeal from a previous applicant, a so-called "aggrieved party", or a Federal or State Attorney-General.

Organizations

The Classification Review Board is a statutory body established by the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995 (Cth). This Act also provides a basis for the National Classification Code which guides their decision making. As the State and Territory governments retain responsibility for enforcing censorship and could withdraw from or ignore the national classification scheme if they so wished, any changes to the national classification scheme must be agreed to by all the State and Territory Censorship Ministers (usually Attorneys-General). Despite this South Australia still maintains a separate Classification Council which can override national classification decisions in that state.

The Classification Review Board does not censor material by ordering cuts or changes. However, they are able to effectively censor media by refusing classification and making the media illegal for hire, exhibition and importation to Australia.

Classification decisions

There have been various films/videogames that have appealed the rating given to them by the Australian Classification board, some win the appeal others lose it. Appeals include:

2011

The House of the Dead: Overkill – Extended Cut
The House of the Dead: Overkill
The House of the Dead: Overkill is a first-person rail shooter video game developed by Headstrong Games and published by Sega. It is the fifth game developed in the The House of the Dead series, a prequel to the original House of the Dead chronologically and the first in the series to be released...

- Sega successfully appealed its rating for an MA15+ on the basis that the over the top violence mitigated the impact..
We Dare
We Dare
We Dare is an adult-oriented party video game by Ubisoft, for the Wii and PlayStation 3 gaming systems. It is marketed as a "sexy, quirky, party game" and involves kissing, striptease and spanking...

- Federal Attorney-General Brendan O'Conner failed to appeal the games rating and thus stuck with its PG rating on the basis that the sexual references were only mild in impact.
Mortal Kombat - Warner Brothers failed it's appeal to attain an MA15+ rating due to violence being of a high degree, due to a lack of an R18+ at the time, the game was subsequently refused classification for a second time.

2010

The Karate Kid
The Karate Kid (2010 film)
The Karate Kid is a 2010 American martial arts film and remake of the 1984 film of the same name. Directed by Harald Zwart, produced by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, the film stars Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan...

- Lowered its M rating to a PG due to the consensus being that the violence was not detailed and was relatively infrequent within the narrative.
Salo - Federal Attorney-General Brendan O'Conner tried to appeal its R18+ rating. It was originally banned since 1997 but was recently rerated by the classification board. The film was again awarded an R18+ rating due to the additional 3 hours of extras which gives context to the film, the same reason as the classification board.

2009

Alien vs Predator - Appealed its RC rating and won attaining a MA15+. The reason they deemed it as suitable for 15 year olds is due to its science fiction context and how the mutilations were randomly generated and the player had no contol over it.
Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War
Charlie Wilson's War is a 2007 American biographical comedy drama film recounting the true story of U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson who partnered with "bare knuckle attitude" CIA operative Gust Avrakotos to launch Operation Cyclone, a program to organize and support the Afghan mujahideen in their...

- Bob Debus, the Minister for Home Affairs at the time, appealed the M rating of the film as he thought the nudity should have given the film a higher and restricted MA15+. He failed and the film retained the same rating of M though with the added consumer advice of 'partial nudity'.
Friday the 13th (2009 remake)
Friday the 13th (2009 film)
Friday the 13th is a 2009 American slasher film directed by Marcus Nispel and written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. It is a reboot of the Friday the 13th film series, which began in 1980 and the twelfth Friday the 13th film in total...

- Appealed its R18+ rating but lost. It lost due to how the violence frequently dwells on detail.
Hydrolord the Game (board game) - Bob Debus, the Minister for Home Affairs at the time, tried to appeal the M rating of this board game to cause it to receive a restricted rating of 'Category 1 18+' due to drug references, the board found that the drug references were very discreet thus awarding it the same rating of M
Julie & Julia
Julie & Julia
Julie & Julia is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Nora Ephron starring Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Amy Adams, and Chris Messina...

- Appealed its M rating and won in which is was re-rated PG for 'Infrequent course language'. It won the appeal as the word fuck was used briefly and can easily be missed and is used in context to calm another character down.
Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2 is a cooperative first-person shooter video game. It is the sequel to Valve Corporation's award-winning Left 4 Dead. The game launched on November 17, 2009, for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in the United States and November 20 in Europe; in 2010, Left 4 Dead 2 was made available to...

- Appealed its RC rating but lost. This was due to the relentlessly graphic and detailed depictions of violence and gore throughout the game and thus could not be accommodated at the MA15+ rating.
The Loved Ones
The Loved Ones (film)
The Loved Ones is a 2009 Australian horror film written and directed by Sean Byrne and starring Xavier Samuel and Robin McLeavy.-Plot:After high schooler Brent Mitchell wraps his car around a tree, killing his father, he escapes into a grief-filled world of guilt...

- Appealed its R18+ and won, it was then re-rated MA15+. This was due to that the most violent scenes generally had a dark comedic overtone to it thus reducing the impact.
Stone Bros.
Stone Bros.
Stone Bros. is an Australian indigenous stoner comedy film. It was theatrically released in Australia on 24 September 2009.-Plot:When Charlie trades Eddie's favourite jacket, he unwittingly loses a sacred stone, entrusted to Eddie by his uncle, which he promised to one day return to its home in...

- Appealed its MA15+ but failed. This was due to how despite the film showing negative effects on drugs, there are certain scenes explicitly detailing how to actually form them.

2008

F.E.A.R. 2 - Appealed its RC rating and was awarded with a MA15+. The board found that the violence was expected in its genre and the most violent events occurred without player control.
Open Season 2
Open Season 2
Open Season 2 is a direct-to-video sequel to the 2006 computer animated film Open Season, produced by Sony Pictures Animation, directed by Matthew O'Callaghan, co-directed by Todd Wilderman, and produced by Kirk Bodyfelt and Matthew O'Callaghan....

- Appealed its PG rating but failed as the violence was a bit to intense for younger viewers.
Space Chimps
Space Chimps
Space Chimps is a 2008 computer-animated family comedy film produced by Vanguard Animation, Starz Media and 20th Century Fox, and it was released on July 18, 2008. The film is produced by Barry Sonnenfeld, John H. Williams, and John W...

- Successfully appealed its PG rating and won its G rating as the comedic overtone lessened the impact to young children.

2007

300 - Won its appeal and its R18+ was downgraded to a MA15+ due to how unrealistic the cgi effects were causing all the violence to be highly stylized.
30 Days of Night
30 Days of Night (film)
30 Days of Night is a 2007 American horror film based on the comic book miniseries of the same name. The film is directed by David Slade and stars Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, and Danny Huston...

- Won its appeal and was awarded an MA15+ rating over its previous R18+. The reason was because it took place in a clear fantasy environment and that the vampires bled black blood lessening the impact.
Notes on a Scandal
Notes on a Scandal (film)
Notes on a Scandal is a 2006 British psychological thriller film, adapted from the 2003 novel of the same name by Zoë Heller. The screenplay was written by Patrick Marber and the film was directed by Richard Eyre. Many parts of the film were shot in Islington Arts and Media School...

- Losts its appeal and stay with its MA15+ rating due to how sensitive the public is to sex with a minor even with the films implied sex scenes.
Sleuth
Sleuth (2007 film)
Sleuth is a 2007 thriller film directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Jude Law and Michael Caine. The screenplay by Harold Pinter is an adaption of Anthony Shaffer's Tony Award-winning play Sleuth...

(remake) - Successfully appealed its MA15+ rating for an M rating. The board found that the two uses of 'Cunt' was, while aggressive, still infrequent.
Saw IV
Saw IV
Saw IV is a 2007 Canadian-American horror film and midquel to 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007...

- Successfully appealed its R18+ for an MA15+ due to how its content was similar to its predecessors which were rated MA15+ and its strongest scene being the autopsy scene was while done realistically, was the same type of scene one would see in a medical documentary.
Sea Patrol (season 1)
Sea Patrol (season 1)
The first season of the Australian drama Sea Patrol premiered on the Nine Network on 5 July 2007. The 13-episode season concluded 4 October 2007.-Main cast:-Recurring/semi-regular cast:-Plot:...

- Lost its appeal and stayed with its M rating due to certain scenes dwelling on detail of blood.

2006

Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure is a video game released on February 14, 2006. It was developed by The Collective, Inc. and published by Atari under license by Marc Ecko...

- Federal Attorney-General Phil Ruddock applied to appeal the MA15+ of the rating to force into the RC (banned) territory. He succeeded and banned the game as the board noted that while all the violence, course language and drug references may be accommodated within the MA15+ category, the theme proved to be high impact due to the glorification of graffiti.
Eragon
Eragon (film)
Eragon is a 2006 fantasy-adventure film based on the novel of the same name by author Christopher Paolini. The cast includes Edward Speleers in the title role, Jeremy Irons, Garrett Hedlund, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Djimon Hounsou, Alun Armstrong, Joss Stone, and the voice...

- Lost its appeal of the M rating due to violence being too frequent to fit within the PG classification.
Stormbreaker
Stormbreaker (film)
Stormbreaker is a 2006 British spy film based on Anthony Horowitz's novel of the same name, the first novel in the Alex Rider series. It stars newcomer Alex Pettyfer as the teenage spy alongside actors Mickey Rourke and Bill Nighy...

- As with Eragon, lost its appeal of the M rating due to the frequency of the violence.
River Queen
River Queen
River Queen is a 2005 New Zealand film directed by Vincent Ward and starring Samantha Morton, Kiefer Sutherland and Cliff Curtis. The film opened to mixed reviews but performed well at the local box-office.-Plot:...

- Won its appeal for lowering its MA15+ rating for an M rating. This was due to the historical context of the film mitigating the impact.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling, published on 8 July 2000.The novel won a Hugo Award in 2001, the only Harry Potter novel to do so...

- Lost its appeal due to the dark nature of the film being deemed too impactful to fit into the PG category.
Big Momma's House 2
Big Momma's House 2
Big Momma's House 2 is a 2006 American crime comedy film directed by John Whitesell and written by Don Rhymer. The film is a sequel to Big Momma's House and stars Martin Lawrence reprising his role as FBI agent Malcolm Turner. The film was released theatrically on 27 January 2006, and was...

- Won its appeal to lower its M rating into a PG rating. This was due to the overall comedic tone lessening the impact of the violence.

All appeals before 2006 were done when the review board was not owned by the Attorney-general's department but instead when it was overlooked by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC).

2005

50 Cent Bulletproof - Lost its appeal to drop its RC banning due to the frequent detailed violence.
A History of Violence
A History of Violence
A History of Violence is a graphic novel written by John Wagner and illustrated by Vince Locke, originally published in 1997 by Paradox Press and later by Vertigo, both imprints of DC Comics....

- Won its appeal for a MA15+ rating as while the violence was very detailed and realistic, it was infrequent within the film.
Mysterious Skin
Mysterious Skin
Mysterious Skin is a 2004 drama film directed by American filmmaker Gregg Araki, who also wrote the screenplay based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Scott Heim...

- Attorney-general Phil Ruddock once again tried to get another film banned. He failed due to how the film does not glorify sexual abuse of children.
Kingdom of Heaven
Kingdom of Heaven
Kingdom of Heaven may refer to:* Kingdom of God, a foundational theological concept in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam* Kingdom of Heaven , a 2005 film, directed by Ridley Scott...

- Won its appeal for an M rating due to the historical context of the film mitigating the impact.
Wolf Creek
Wolf Creek (film)
Wolf Creek is a 2005 independent Australian horror film written, co-produced and directed by Greg McLean. The story revolves around three backpackers who find themselves held captive by a serial killer in the Australian outback...

- Lost its appeal and stayed as an R18+ due to how realistic and frequent the violence is.
Wedding Crashers
Wedding Crashers
Wedding Crashers is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin. It stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, with Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper, Diora Baird, Jane Seymour, and an uncredited Will Ferrell....

- Was awarded a downgrade to an M rating due to the sexual references being while frequent, only moderate in impact.
Constantine
Constantine (film)
Constantine is a 2005 American action horror film directed by Francis Lawrence as his directorial debut, starring Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, with Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, and Djimon Hounsou...

- Was awarded an M rating, down from its MA15+ due to how the violence was generally undetailed and stylized.
Guess Who
Guess Who (film)
Guess Who is a 2005 American comedy film about race relations directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. It is a loose remake of the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, in the form of a romantic comedy...

- Lost its appeal and stayed with its M rating due to how frequent the sexual references are.
9 Songs
9 Songs
9 Songs is a 2004 British film directed by Michael Winterbottom. The title refers to the nine songs played by eight different rock bands that complement the story of the film...

- Won its appeal for an R18+, it was originally given an X18+ but due to a technicality in the guidelines of how even fetishes are not allowed in the X18+ category, something which the classification board overlooked, they awarded it an R18+ based upon artistic merit.
Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four (film)
Fantastic Four is a 2005 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics comic Fantastic Four. It was directed by Tim Story, and released by 20th Century Fox. It is the second live-action Fantastic Four film to be filmed. The previous attempt, a B-movie produced by Roger Corman only for the...

- Won its appeal for a PG rating due to how highly stylized the violence was.

2002

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is a 2002 American animated film that was released by DreamWorks. It follows the adventures of a young Kiger mustang stallion living in the 19th century wild west. The film, written by John Fusco and directed by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook, was nominated for the...

- Won its appeal for a G rating due to there being a low sense of threat for children.
Baise-Moi
Baise-moi
Baise-moi is a French film co-directed by Virginie Despentes and Coralie Trinh Thi, released in 2000. It is based on the novel by Despentes, first published in 1999. The film received intense media coverage because of its graphic mix of violence and explicit sex scenes...

- The General-attorney succeeded in appealing its R18+ rating and was subsequently refused classification due very high impact violence throughout.
Australian Rules - Awarded an M rating due to the drug use, violence, and course language being justified by its context and message, thus the film was only moderate in impact.
E.T. the Extra Terrestrial: 20th Anniversary Edition - Failed to lower its PG rating due to there being certain scenes that may be distressful for young children.
Black Hawk Down - Awarded an MA15+ on the basis that the graphic war violence was justified by its strong anti-war message.

2000

The Monkey's Mask
The Monkey's Mask
The Monkey's Mask is a 2000 thriller film directed by Samantha Lang. It stars Susie Porter and Kelly McGillis. Porter plays a lesbian private detective who falls in love with a suspect in the disappearance of a young woman...

- Lost its appeal to drop the R18+ due to the theme of fetishes not being treated discreetly enough to warrant an MA15+
Almost Famous
Almost Famous
Almost Famous is a 2000 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and telling the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the fictitious rock band Stillwater , and his efforts to get his first cover story published...

- Dropped its MA15+ to an M due to how the drug use was not exploitively used in its depiction and shows its negative sides
The Color of Paradise
The Color of Paradise
The Color of Paradise , is a 1999 Iranian film directed by Majid Majidi.- Plot :...

- Successfully appealed its M to the PG rating. This was due to that the themes depicted are mitigated by there complicities for young children to understand.

1999

The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur...

- Won its appeal to lower its MA15+ to M as while there were instances of aggressive strong language, they were limited to only two scenes and thus infrequent within the narrative
Eyes Wide Shut
Eyes Wide Shut
Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 drama film based upon Arthur Schnitzler's 1926 novella Traumnovelle . The film was directed, produced and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, and was his last film. The story, set in and around New York City, follows the sexually-charged adventures of Dr...

- Lost the appeal and stuck with its R18+, as the sex scenes were too realistic rather than implied/discreet to fit into the MA15+ rating
Fight Club
Fight Club (film)
Fight Club is a 1999 American film based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. The film was directed by David Fincher and stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. Norton plays the unnamed protagonist, an "everyman" who is discontented with his white-collar job...

- Lost appeal for the MA15+ rating as it had adult themes of a high degree of intensity that were not discreet
The General's Daughter - Won its appeal and lowered rating to MA15+ as the theme of rape was not high impact and the rape scene was more suggestive then graphic.
The Iron Giant
The Iron Giant
The Iron Giant is a 1999 animated film produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on the 1968 novel The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. Brad Bird directed the film, which stars a voice cast of Jennifer Aniston, Harry Connick, Jr., Vin Diesel, Eli Marienthal, Christopher McDonald and John Mahoney...

- Lost the appeal and stayed a PG due to several scenes being to intense for young children
Human Traffic
Human Traffic
Human Traffic is a British independent film written and directed by Welsh filmmaker Justin Kerrigan. The film explores themes of coming of age, drug and club cultures, as well as relationships. It includes scenes provoking social commentary and the use of archive footage to provide political...

- Lost appeal for MA15+ due to its promotion of drugs as an escapism
Romance
Romance (1999 film)
Romance is a 1999 French movie written and directed by Catherine Breillat. It stars Caroline Ducey, pornographic actor Rocco Siffredi, Sagamore Stévenin and François Berléand. The film features explicit copulation scenes, especially one showing Caroline Ducey's coitus with Rocco Siffredi...

- Won its appeal to unban the film and rerated R18+ due to its serious intent and artistic merit despite explicit sex
Tarzan
Tarzan (1999 film)
Tarzan is a 1999 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 18, 1999...

- Lost appeal to lower PG rating due to several menacing themes that could not be accommodated at the G rating
Madness - Lost its appeal to lowers its RC rating due to explicit sexual violence

1998

Analyze This
Analyze This
Analyze This is a 1999 gangster comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, who co-wrote the screenplay with playwright Kenneth Lonergan and Peter Tolan. The film stars Robert De Niro as a mafioso and Billy Crystal as a psychiatrist...

- Lost its appeal to lower its MA15+ as it contained constant coarse language that were too aggressive to be in fit into the M rating
Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan is a 1998 American war film set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by Robert Rodat. The film is notable for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which depicts the Omaha Beach assault of June 6, 1944....

- Won appeal to be rated MA15+ as despite having intense, prolonged graphic scenes of violence, they were not gratuitous, infrequent and contained a strong anti-war message
Passion
Passion (1998 film)
Passion is a 1998 Hungarian drama film directed by György Fehér. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. It is based on the novel The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M...

- Appeal failed as the pervasive theme of sado-masochistic behaviour could not fit into the MA15+ category
Hurrah - Won the MA15+ rating as the noted sex scene was while somewhat graphic, was shown in a series of shots mitigating its impact

1997

Anastasia
Anastasia (1997 film)
Anastasia is a 1997 American animated musical film produced and directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. It was the first feature film to be released by Fox Animation Studios....

- Appeal for a G rating failed due to the various scenes that were found to upset small children
Men in Black
Men in Black (film)
Men in Black is a 1997 science fiction comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith and Vincent D'Onofrio. The film was based on the Men in Black comic book series by Lowell Cunningham, originally published by Marvel Comics. The film featured the creature effects...

- Appeal failed as the violence was too frequent to be accommodated within the PG rating
Fairytale: A True Story - Won its appeal for a G rating as the themes were discreetly used to avoid distressing younger children
The Devil's Advocate
The Devil's Advocate (film)
The Devil's Advocate is a 1997 American horror film directed by Taylor Hackford starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino and Charlize Theron, and based on a novel by Andrew Neiderman....

- Lost its appeal for a MA15+ as the board noted that the sex and violence were gratuitously detailed and/or prolonged
Primary Colors - Won its appeal to lower its MA15+ to an M rating as the frequent use of 'fuck' was not gratuitous and contextually justified
Salo - The Attorney general at the time appealed to ban the film (originally R18+) and was successful, the board noted the film depicted sexual violence as highly cruel and portrayed the characters in a demeaning manner. (It was rerated R18+ again in 2010)

Members

The current permanent members of the Classification Review Board:

Victoria Rubensohn (Convenor)
Hon Trevor Griffin (Deputy Convenor)
Ann Stark
Helena Blundell
Alan Wu
Melissa de Zwart