Entries Tagged 'government initiatives' ↓

The QLD Government has just released a toolkit Working Together, A toolkit for parents to address bullying aimed at parents and teachers so they are better equipped to deal with bullying.

Education and Training Minister Geoff Wilson said “This toolkit for parents complements the toolkit for schools released earlier this year. Most importantly the toolkit has been informed by the questions asked by parents during the Action Against Bullying Education Series conducted across Queensland by Dr Michael Carr-Gregg.”

The National Centre Against Bullying defines 5 different types of bullying:

1. Physical bullying, including hitting, poking, tripping, pushing or damaging someone’s belongings.
2. Verbal bullying, involving name calling, insults, homophobic or racist remarks and verbal abuse.
3. Social bullying, where lies or rumours are spread, or someone plays a nasty joke, mimics, or deliberately excludes someone else.
4. Psychological bullying, where someone is threatened, manipulated or stalked.
5. cyber bullying, where someone uses technology (for example, email, mobile phone, chat rooms or social networking sites) to bully verbally, socially, or psychologically.

The toolkit gives parents information on how to identify various types of bullying, including cyber bullying, methods of dealing with bullying and how to work with schools to keep their child safe.

Mr Wilson said the toolkits were just one initiative of the Queensland Schools Alliance Against Violence (QSAAV), formed in February 2010 to provide advice on best practice measures to address bullying and violence in schools.

“In addition to the toolkit for parents Dr Carr-Gregg has recorded a series of informative webisodes on bullying and their role in supporting their children and working with schools,” Mr Wilson said.

The 6 webisodes are readily available through the Department of Education and Training (DET) website and the topics covered are:

• What is bullying?
• What are the signs your child may be bullied?
• How do you support your child?
• How can you work with the school?
• What if your child is the bully?
• What is cyber-bullying?

 Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, adolescent psychologist and Generation Next speaker said “many bullies don’t know at a conscious level, that their behaviours are abusive, but unconsciously they know they are taking away the target’s power. Australian research says that 1 in 6 students are bullied weekly and are bothered by it. 54% of Year 7 students say they feel unsafe at school.”

Mr Wilson concluded by saying “It is a positive and practical outcome for schools and parents that will help them to keep children safe in our schools.” he said.

Working Together, A toolkit for parents to address bullying and the 6 webisodes can be found here: http://education.qld.gov.au/studentservices/behaviour/qsaav/index.html

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha
Source: Queensland State Government; Department of Education and Training

The Australian Institute of Family Studies has published What works with adolescents? – Family connections and involvement in interventions. It outlines information and key areas of concern for the healthy development of adolescents as they grow into adulthood.

During adolescence young people have to handle many things at once, it is an incredible time of growth on all fronts; physically, mentally and emotionally. They are no longer children but they are not adults either.

At some stage they may rebel against the constraints of family life, yet it is their family they turn to for security, comfort and reassurance. The power of the family should not be under estimated by parents, carers, teachers and medical practitioners. It is the safe haven that young people can retreat to when the world and all the changes that go with it get too much.

Families and family life is different for everyone and it doesn’t matter how the family is defined. It can be a collection of different people who live under the same roof.

The important thing is that for adolescents that sense of belonging is very important, it is the place from where they can draw their strength and get support, the place where they are accepted for who they are. It is the place they gain their resilience to the ups and downs of life.

As young people go through adolescence they experience interdependence rather than independence, they forge new and deeper relationships with family, friends, colleagues, partners and others.

Topics and issues that are covered in this publication include:

What is Family?
The family offers a “secure base” – safe place to return, emotional, psychological support (caring, connectedness, belonging).

There are five key elements to a secure parent/adolescent relationship, and these elements help build resilience in a young person so they can withstand that knocks in adult life:

1. Availability – helping young people to trust
2. Sensitivity – helping young people manage feelings/behaviours
3. Acceptance – building the self-esteem of the young person
4. Co-operation – helping young people to feel effective; and
5. Family membership – helping young people belong.

Source: Schofield & Beek (2009)

Mental Health
25% of young people aged 16-24 years old have suffered from some kind of depression or anxiety. It is a state that lasts for more than a few weeks, their moods do not life and their performance at school or work suffers.

Young people are more at risk of mental health issues if the following factors exist in their family set up:

• Physical and sexual abuse
• Neglect
• Attachment problems
• Parental mental illness
• Family conflict and stress, and
• Family breakdown.

It is vital that parents be involved in the resolution of any family issues if there is to be a successful outcome in childhood interventions.

Key family protective factors
Young people need enduring connections, if the family is not providing this then it is important to establish who else if offering it. There are 4 key family protective factors that are vital to a young person’s healthy development:

• Caring
• Connectedness
• Belonging, and
• Support.

Involving family – what works?
Improving communication skills
Promotion of family-based problem solving
Addressing negative and critical interactions
Building family resilience and hope
Helping families manage depression and contain suicide risk
Source: Carr, 2009; Larner, 2009

Who makes the decisions?
As young people approach adulthood there needs to be a balance between parental rights and the rights of minors. The desire of the young person to make personal decisions needs to be taken into account while recognising that teenagers are still developing cognitive and emotional skills needed to resolve issues that arise as they get older.

Communicating with adolescents
Building trust is critical.
There is often a focus on a literal response – but behaviours and actions are “talking”.
It is important to engage a young person, so they know they are being listened to.
“Respectful authority” – negotiate where you can, but be clear about the bottom line.
Honesty and straightforwardness are important when talking to adolescents.
Try to avoid direct questions, rather make them open ended.

Family connections
Who ‘surrounds’ the young person, and what is the nature of the relationships?
Explore peer group, sporting, cultural and community connections.
What are they “good at”? Think broadly.
What are the communication/behaviour patterns in the family?

Engaging the family
Parents may be difficult to engage in the therapeutic process.
They may fail to recognise or feel threatened by suggestions of possible role in the problem.
Therapy dilemma – “fixing” young person.
A “therapeutic alliance” with both adolescents and parents will bring the best results.

Conclusion
Understanding adolescent development is important but it is equally important to recognise the vital contribution that parents and the family base provide.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.
Source: Australian Institute of Family Studies What works with adolescents?

4% of adult Australians play the pokies each week
$6 billion spent on pokies each year

The growing trend in ‘redemption games’ that are now filling children’s games arcades are setting them on the rocky road to gambling.

They are called ‘redemption games’ because young people play for tickets or prizes, including cameras and TVs. They use electronic claws to grasp at a pile of goodies, spin a wheel, or use a button to line up blocks and win.

Many of the games now even mimic poker machines and the increasing popularity of computer games and gaming consoles at home has further fuelled their popularity.

Many arcades are strategically placed in clubs near the pokies where their parents are playing. So while mum and dad are gambling away at the big poker machines (it accounts for almost two thirds of the $19 billion dollars Australians “spend” on gambling each year), the kids are learning how to gamble at the games arcade.

The Productivity Commission’s report into gambling which was published in June highlights the significant social cost of gambling, estimated to be at least $4.7 billion. More than 75% of Australians with gambling problems spend most of their money on poker machines. A survey conducted by the Victorian government found that 6,000 pokie playing Victorians admitted that their gambling had led them to do something against the law.

The Productivity Commission’s report confirmed the view that ”minors should not … be exposed to gambling areas within venues”.

The report also acknowledged that “there is strong evidence that gambling can have adverse health, emotional and financial impacts on many more people than those categorised as ‘problem gamblers’. As is the case in policies addressing harm from alcohol consumption, policy also needs to address these wider impacts”.

Independent Senator, Mr Nick Xenophon thinks these games should be reclassified as gaming machines. He said the federal government should bring in new laws; ”legislation needs to change because these machines are a training ground for pokies. It puts kids at risk.”

”While mum and dad are playing pokies inside, the kids are getting trained on redemption [arcade] games just a few metres away. The connection is insidious and it is totally cynical,” he said.

Activist and founder of PokieAct.org Paul Bendat said all children’s games should be banned from pokies venues. ”I stand for children not being in pokies venues at all because gambling is an adult form of harmful entertainment,” he said.

Mr Bendat believes that there is an Australia wide assault on our children, they are being lured into pokie pubs and exposed to gambling on the poker machines.

One person commented that “I would never let my children near pokies as I’ve seen what they can do families. After many years of seeing my husband’s nieces and nephews around pokies, they now also think nothing of sinking a few hundred (dollars) when we go out for lunch at a club”.

These sentiments are echoed by Charles Livingstone, an electronic gaming expert at Monash University, who feels that the arcade games both indoctrinate kids into gambling while making them feel it is a normal part of life, and  lure them with their parents into the pokie venues.

Dr Livingstone said Australia had ”one of the world’s most liberal gambling regulatory regimes”, which had led to a significant increase in the number of pubs and gaming venues offering children’s activities in recent years. A University of Adelaide study released last year surveyed more than 2,500 teenagers and found pathological gamblers were significantly more likely to play video and arcade games.

David Curry, a spokesman for Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group,  said “we operate family venues with a variety of entertainment opportunities for children included within that,”  he seemed unable to appreciate that games had the potential to teach children to gamble, or encourage them to gamble as they grew older.

It seems the government has a dilemma on its hands. The problem is that the Productivity Commission’s recommendations are trying to reduce the harm associated with gambling, while preserving its benefits.

This seems to be a contradiction of terms. How can something which has proven to be both addictive and harmful to the individual have any ‘benefits’? perhaps the government is referring to financial ‘benefits’ which the clubs no doubt enjoy or the revenue collected by the government which is certainly a benefit the government would not like to forego.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Source: pokieact – make pokie places kid free.  Productivity Commission’s report into gambling.

76% of teenage girls choose an image that is thinner than themselves as their ideal
68% of 15 year old girls are on a diet

The Federal Youth Minister, Kate Ellis has launched a new government initiative aimed at addressing the issues that surround using scrawny models on the catwalk and in magazines.

This new Voluntary Industry Code of Conduct on Body Image was developed by the National Advisory Group on Body Image and provides a list of best practice principles to guide professionals in the media, advertising and fashion industries about body image.

It is hoped that these measures will take the pressure off young people to emulate the emaciated models that they see in the media and in turn help reduce the number of eating disorders among our youth.

By investing $500,000 in an education program with the eating disorder group The Butterfly Foundation, the government hopes to reach teenagers and help them develop a positive body image by educating them in media literacy and self esteem.

Eating Disorder expert and Generation Next speaker Melinda Hutchings that advises comments such as “you look great in that”, “you’re looking so much better”, “you haven’t put on that much weight” make the person feel as though they have put on weight. Similarly, if you know someone who is struggling with anorexia, don’t ‘reassure’ them that they are thin. You cannot win by placing value – positive or negative – on someone’s weight.

The new Body Image Friendly award’s  logo has a tick is similar to the Heart Foundation’s tick of healthy foods. It will be presented to those in the media, advertising and fashion industry who are responsible enough to stop the glamorisation of very thin women and start presenting young people with positive role models in the form of models who look healthy and better reflect the size (12) of the average woman on the street.

The new code of conduct has suggested that the media and fashion industry adhere to the certain guidelines, and although they are not compulsory, Ms Kate Ellis believes many in the fashion industry will embrace this new initiative.

“I am calling on industry professionals to move beyond the ‘business as usual’ approach and take real action to promote positive body image,” Ms Ellis said.

“I am asking industry to embrace this Code and to work in partnership with Government and the community to integrate the goals of the Code into their business practices”.

The code of conduct guidelines include:

• Not running advertisements for rapid weight loss, cosmetic surgery, excessive exercise or other commercials that may promote a negative body image
• Only using models aged 16 or older to model adult clothes, both on catwalks and in print
• Refraining from using models with a low body mass index (BMI) and who are very thin or male models who are excessively muscular
• Disclosing when images have been retouched and refraining from enhancing photographs in a way that changes a person’s body shape, for example, lengthening their legs or trimming their waist, or removing freckles, lines and other distinguishing marks
• Stocking clothing in a wide variety of sizes in shops to reflect the demand from customers, and
• Using a broad range of body shapes, sizes and ethnicities in editorial and advertising.

Ms Ellis said “body image is an issue that we must take seriously because it is affecting the health and happiness of substantial sections of our community,” She added. “It will empower consumers to tell the fashion, beauty, media and modelling industries what they want and provide greater choice.”

As a show of support for the code of conduct, several leading women’s and girl’s publications have pledged their support including The Australian Women’s Weekly and Girlfriend.

“In the spirit of the code of conduct, The Weekly undertakes to identify photographs of women that have been digitally altered,” said the Australian Women’s Weekly editor Helen McCabe.

“I am proud to be taking a leading role in what is going to be a gradual process for the industry” she said.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Source: Kate Ellis, Federal Minister for Youth

6 Australians take their lives by suicide every day
65,000 attempted suicides each year
1 suicide every 4 hours
1 attempted suicide every 8 minutes

It is a tragic thing when someone takes their own life. To feel so desperate inside that they opted for total oblivion as the only way out is not how a life should end.

Our community, society and government is sorely lacking in providing both the help and positive constructive attitude that is needed towards mental health issues.

It is not only the loss of a life that is the tragedy here, but also the ongoing affect it has on the lives of those loved ones and friends who have been left behind. These often include young people.

The stigma still associated with suicide and mental health means that many people suffer in silence,  unable to talk about the grief and trauma they are facing as they come to terms with their loss.

The many demands on our youth today means that some young people are now affected by mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, this can lead them to a inconsolable state of mind where suicide seems the only way to release their pain.

Young people can feel isolated and alone, more funding and a change in the community’s attitudes to mental illness is needed if these teenagers are to access the help they so desperately need.

Suicide is a leading cause of death among young people, second only to car accidents. In rural areas twice as many young males commit suicide as their city dwelling counterparts.

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, psychologist and Generation Next speaker says parents should trust their instincts if they feel their teenager is showing signs of depression but has no explanation for the cause of their behaviour. He suggests they should seek professional help immediately.

Young people may have feelings of hopelessness because of relationship break-ups, family problems, sexual, physical or mental abuse, drug or alcohol problems, mental illness (including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia), major loss and grief such as a death, and any serious problem that is difficult to solve and won’t go away.

In compiling the recently published report  The Hidden Toll: Suicide in Australia, the Senate inquiry committee heard 248 submissions from people left devastated by the suicide of someone close. In many cases they did not get the support and care that their grief warranted.

Organisations such as Beyondblue, Lifeline and Suicide Prevention Australia are all working to change the perception of mental illness within the community.

The Hidden Toll: Suicide in Australia recommendations:

• A 5 year media campaign to de-stigmatise suicide in the community as a whole
• Compulsory training for police, paramedics and emergency hospital staff
• Improved date collection
• relaxing guidelines on media reporting of suicide
• establishing protocols for follow-up support of people in hospital after attempting suicide
• considering short-term accommodation centres for people discharged from hospital after a suicide attempt, and
• providing affordable help lines accessible via mobile phones.

Mr Michael Dudley, chairman of Suicide Prevention Australia said “there is a crying need for the federal government to get serious about mental health funding and suicide prevention,” Dr Dudley said yesterday. ”We are watching and waiting. The question is, for how long?”

”This is not an election issue,” Mr McGlaughlin, chief executive of Suicide Prevention Australia said ”this is a whole of community issue and a matter of life and death.”

For information or help contact the following organisations:

Lifeline on 13 11 14

Beyondblue on 1300 22 4636

Youthbeyondblue on 1300 22 4636

Suicide Prevention Australia on (02) 9568 3111

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.
Source: parliament of Australia, Senate.

National drugs Campaign (NDC) website
Tel: 1800 250 015

The Australian government has established a website to support their Australian Governments National Drugs Campaign (NDC). This campaign aims to help young people and parents understand the harmful affects and consequences of drug use.

The NDC has been running since 2001 and has a number of phases that have focussed on particular drugs. The focus of each phase depends on the emerging drug trends at the time of being in the media. This varies over time as drug culture changes.

February 2010 – current phase of the Campaign launched and focuses on:
Ecstasy
Marijuana (Cannabis), and
Methamphetamine (ice)

The aim of the National Drugs Campaign is to contribute to a reduction in the uptake of ecstasy, marijuana (Cannabis), methamphetamine (ice) and other illicit drugs among young Australians, by raising awareness of the harms associated with drug use and encouraging and supporting decisions not to use. It will also encourage young people using illicit drugs to re-consider their use and direct them to relevant support, counselling and treatment services.

The target audiences for the Campaign:

People aged 18-25 years who are at-risk of, or currently use ecstasy, marijuana and/or methamphetamineTeenagers aged 15-17 yearsYoung adults aged 25 years and over who are current users of ecstasy, marijuana and/or methamphetamine, andParents of 15-25 year olds.

Key overall messages

There are specific risks and harms associated with using ecstasy, marijuana and methamphetamineThere are specific risks and harms associated with using illicit drugs (generally)There are real benefits to not using ecstasy, marijuana and methamphetamine and other illicit drugsThere is a range of information available on the facts about illicit drugs including ecstasy, marijuana and methamphetamines, and

There are a range of support and treatment options available to help cease using illicit drugs.

The website includes information on the following:
Information for parents
This section gives parents tips on how to talk to their children about drugs and some reasons why young people take drugs, to help parents understand where their children are coming from.

The information will equip parents to talk with their children so they are informed and able to reach out to them in an honest and open way.

Information for schools
This section is helps identify and access relevant information on:
• effective drug education
• managing drug use issues

The website contains a comprehensive database of information about resources, policies and materials for drug education and incident management.

These resources have has been designed for school principals and administrators, classroom teachers, pastoral care/welfare staff and chaplains, specialist counsellors, psychologists, school nurses, school councils/boards, student teachers and tertiary educators of pre-service teachers.

Information and help for youth
This section directly addresses the youth and explains the different affects of drugs and gives them advice on many aspects of drug use including:

1. Avoiding situations
2. How to get help for yourself and others

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

Source: National Drugs Campaign

The 2010 National Cyber Security Awareness Week (June 6 – 10) focused on protecting personal and financial information online.

“Australians are increasingly relying on the internet in their everyday lives, from banking and shopping to accessing news and keeping in touch with friends and family,” Senator Conroy said.

“The Awareness Week aims to educate and empower people with the information, confidence and practical tools they need to protect themselves online.”

Launched by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy and Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, the theme “Protect Yourself Online” looked at the increasing number of devices we now use to access the internet.

“These days it is not just computers that go online. Phones, game consoles, TVs and even fridges and photo frames can be connected to the internet,” Senator Conroy said.

6 steps to help protect your family:

1. Install security software and update it regularly
2. Turn on automatic updates so that all your software receives the latest fixes
3. Get a stronger password and change it at least twice a year
4. Stop and think before you click on links or attachments
5. Stop and think before you share any personal or financial information – about yourself, your friends or family, and
6. Know what your children are doing online. Make sure they know how to stay safe and encourage them to report anything suspicious.

Information about the Protecting Yourself Online booklet is available on the Australian Government’s website Stay Smart Online.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Source: Stay Smart Online

• 1,000 new HIV cases in Australia every year
• Chlamydia cases rise to 60,000 between 2004 and 2008
• Young people aged between 20 and 29 at highest risk

The sharp increase in sexually transmitted diseases signals the potential of a new wave of HIV cases. Many young people today cannot remember the shocking Grim Reaper ads of 23 years ago which brought the dangers of HIV into everyone’s attention.

On 27 May two strategies were launched:

• The Sixth National HIV Strategy, and the updated
• National Strategies for combating Sexually-Transmissible Infections (STIs) and HIV.

“High priorities for the Ministerial Advisory Council will include devising responses to emerging threats such as those faced by Australians traveling overseas and those indigenous communities where increased injecting drug use is an issue” said Dr Brown, The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) President.

Dr Brown added that “the strategies were developed in a spirit of cooperation with significant contributions from community stakeholders, research organisations, medical professionals and state and territory health departments.”

The five strategies are:

1. The Sixth National HIV Strategy
2. The First National Hepatitis B Strategy
3. The Second National Sexually Transmissible Infections Strategy
4. The Third National Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Strategy, and
5. The Third National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Blood Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmissible Infections Strategy.

“The concern is that if we see a condition like Chlamydia on the rise, that indicates that there’s a lot of unsafe sexual practices occurring and of course that sets up an environment where HIV transmission can increase as well” said Professor Michael Kidd who chaired a ministerial advisory group on sexual disease strategies.

“That’s one of the grave concerns,” he added.

This increase in the number of cases of Chlamydia raises concerns because it indicates that young people are not following the government’s safe sex campaigns. It is hoped that the new messages being sent out across social media networks will prove more effective as they will directly reach the young people who use them and who are most at risk.

“We know that as a nation we seriously under-do prevention,” said Mr Butler, Parliamentary Secretary for Health.

Men who have sex with other men remain the highest risk group for contracting HIV, which Mr Butler said is now a “chronic disease”.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Source: National Association of People Living with AIDS

87% of females prefer to date non smoking partners
80% of smokers don’t believe cigarettes damage the skin*

Monday 31st May is ‘world no tobacco day’.

This year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is using World No Tobacco Day to emphasize the negative aspects of smoking; particularly for women.

In Melbourne, The Royal Dental Hospital is highlighting the link between smoking and the gum disease periodontitis, which can cause teeth to become loose and fall out.

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant says smokers should also think of their financial wellbeing in making the decision to quit.

Based on the average cost of a packet of cigarettes, a pack-a-day smoker could save a significant amount of money and see immediate health benefits and positive lifestyle changes, Dr Chant said.

Australia as a whole has made great progress in the war against smoking with the Commonwealth Government making great inroads into combating smoking over the past year.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and Australian Council on Smoking and Health scorecard said the Australian Government is to be congratulated.

AMA president Dr Andrew Pesce said the Government’s far-reaching and unwavering approach will make Australia the world leader in tobacco control and he applauded Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Recent Government initiatives have included:

• 25% increase in excise duty on tobacco products
• Legislation to make plain packaging for tobacco products compulsory by 2012
• Banning tobacco marketing on the internet
• Major increase in funding for media campaigns on smoking, and
• Committing over $100 million to the ‘Tackling Indigenous Smoking’ program over the next four years.

South Australia, yet again, received the AMA’s annual Dirty Ashtray Award for the Australian State or Territory that made the least progress on combating smoking during 2009/10.

The annual tobacco scoreboard allocates points to each state and territory in various categories to track how effective governments have been at combating smoking.

For help on how to quit smoking visit the Nicabate website.

*Survey conducted by Nicabate

Writer Helen Splarn.  Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Source: The Australian Medical Association (AMA)

A recent study by Professor Craig Anderson “Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and pro-social behaviour in Eastern and Western countries: A meta-analytic review”  has confirmed that young people exposed to violent video games, themselves become more violent.

Researchers monitored individuals ranging from young children to university students and covering a wide range of cultures both in the east and west.

See previous Generation Next blog – Review confirms Violent Video Games increase aggressive behaviour - for an in depth report of this review which was recently published in the American journal Psychological Bulletin.

The Psychological Bulletin found that “exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for increased aggressive thoughts and behaviour, and decreased empathy and pro-social behaviour in youths."

Prof Craig Anderson confirmed that "… the effects are that exposure to violent video games increases the likelihood of aggressive behaviour in both short-term and long-term contexts. Such exposure also increases aggressive thinking and aggressive affect, and decreases pro-social behaviour."

This report comes at a time when the government is considering the introduction of R+18 rated games into the market in Australia (many of these games have high levels of violence and sex content).

Kids Free 2 B Kids director Julie Gale, and Generation Next Speaker says parents must take some time to sit and watch video games with their children to really know the kinds of games they are playing.

Adding an R18+ classification means that much more extreme violence and sexualised imagery will be available to young people as a whole.

Julie Gale also recently attended the conference ‘Growing up Fast and Furious’  held by the Australian Council of Children and the Media (ACCM) at Macquarie University where the issues of video game content and classifications were discussed.

Current criteria for video games in Australia

• The highest video game rating is MA15+
• Imported games are modified to meet MA15+ rating, and
• All video games entering Australia must pass through the classification system

The outcome of this debate has been made more precarious by the resignation of Attorney-General Michael Atkinson, who was himself a keen advocate and campaigner for opposing the introduction of video games into Australia with a R18+ classification.

Attorney-General Michael Atkinson made the following points in a letter:

• Despite classification stickers, parents still make “bad choices” in regards to what content their children view
• Our desire for unedited games shouldn’t come ahead of protecting children from inappropriate material
• R18+ content adds nothing to the gaming experience
• Games classification is different to film classification, in that films can be better regulated, and
• Children and “vulnerable” adults should not accept violence as a part of everyday life

The next meeting of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General is held in Melbourne on April 29. It is not yet known whether the introduction of an R18+ games rating will be discussed.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.