Australian Classification Review Board

Australian Classification Review Board
Agency overview
Formed 1970
Jurisdiction Commonwealth of Australia
Minister responsible George Brandis, Attorney-General
Parent agency Attorney-General's Department (current parent agency), OFLC (original parent agency), Australian Classification Board (brother agency)
Website http://www.classification.gov.au

The Australian Classification Review Board is a statutory censorship and classification body overseen by the Australian Government which can review classification decisions made by the Australian Classification Board concerning films, video games and publications for exhibition, sale or hire in Australia. 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 and video games that have appealed the ratings given to them by the Australian Classification board. Appeals include:

2012

2011

[1]

2010

[2]

2009

[3]

2008

[4]

2007

[5]

2006

[6]

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

[7]

2002

[8]

2000

[9]

1999

[10]

1998

[11]

1997

[12]

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Members

The current permanent members of the Classification Review Board:[13]

See also

References

  1. http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/classification.nsf/Page/InformationCentre_MediaReleases_2011MediaReleases
  2. http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/classification.nsf/Page/ClassificationinAustralia_Whoweare_ClassificationReviewBoardDecisions_reviewBoarddecisions-2010
  3. http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/classification.nsf/Page/ClassificationinAustralia_Whoweare_ClassificationReviewBoardDecisions_ReviewBoarddecisions-2009
  4. http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/classification.nsf/Page/ClassificationinAustralia_Whoweare_ClassificationReviewBoardDecisions_Boarddecisions-2008
  5. http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/classification.nsf/Page/ClassificationinAustralia_Whoweare_ClassificationReviewBoardDecisions_ReviewBoardDecisions-2007
  6. http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/classification.nsf/Page/ClassificationinAustralia_Whoweare_ClassificationReviewBoardDecisions_ReviewBoarddecisions-2006
  7. http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/classification.nsf/Page/ClassificationinAustralia_Whoweare_ClassificationReviewBoardDecisions_ReviewBoarddecisions-2005
  8. http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/classification.nsf/Page/ClassificationinAustralia_Whoweare_ClassificationReviewBoardDecisions_ReviewBoarddecisions-2002
  9. http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/classification.nsf/Page/ClassificationinAustralia_Whoweare_ClassificationReviewBoardDecisions_ReviewBoarddecisions-2000
  10. http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/rwpattach.nsf/VAP/(084A3429FD57AC0744737F8EA134BACB)~227+-+Annual+Report+-+1999+-+2000.pdf/$file/227+-+Annual+Report+-+1999+-+2000.pdf
  11. http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/rwpattach.nsf/VAP/(084A3429FD57AC0744737F8EA134BACB)~182+-+Annual+Report+98-99.pdf/$file/182+-+Annual+Report+98-99.pdf
  12. http://www.classification.gov.au/www/cob/rwpattach.nsf/VAP/(084A3429FD57AC0744737F8EA134BACB)~183+-+Annual+Report+97-98.pdf/$file/183+-+Annual+Report+97-98.pdf
  13. Classification Review Board Members