formed 1970 ; 46 years ago 1970 as australian classification board 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 review board sister agency website www.classification.gov.au the classification board cb is an australian statutory classification and censorship body formed by the australian government which classifies films video games and publications for exhibition sale or hire in australia since its establishment in 1995 . the classification board was originally incorporated in the office of film and literature classification oflc which was dissolved in 2006 . the classification board does not directly 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 . the attorney general s department now provides administrative support to the board and decisions made by the board may be reviewed by the australian classification review board 1 which is a part of the attorney general s department . the system has several levels of restricted categories prohibiting sale exhibition or use of some materials to those who are under a prescribed age . in 2005 video and computer games became subject to the same classification ratings and restrictions as films with the exception of the r18 and x18 ratings in response to confusion by parents . 2 despite a line in the national classification code stating that adults should be able to read hear and see what they want the adult r18 classification did not exist for video games in australia prior to 1 january 2013 . 3 contents 1 history 2 overview 3 film and video game classifications 3.1 unrestricted advisory 3.2 restricted 3.3 other labels 4 literature ratings 5 controversies 5.1 film 5.2 video games 5.3 adult ratings for video games 6 see also 7 references 8 external links history edit in 1970 a newly formed classification system and body named the australian classification board was created to rate all films and later in 1994 video games that came into australia . in the early years of the system there were four ratings g for general exhibition nrc not recommended for children this later became pg m for mature audiences r for restricted exhibition in 1993 the cb introduced the ma15 rating as a means of flagging content that was too strong for the m classification but not so much so that the content should be restricted only to persons over the age of 18 . 4 the introduction of the office of film and literature classification oflc occurred in 1994 . the oflc oversaw the classification board . in 2005 the oflc was dissolved and the classification board was handed over to the attorney general s department . the current coloured classification markings for films and computer games were introduced in may 2005 . 5 in august 2014 the australian classification board introduced amendments which allows for the automated classification process employed by the international age rating coalition . this new process reduces the costs of video game developers as they seek to obtain ratings for their products that are distributed digitally online . 6 overview edit the board operates on a procedure that primarily involves decision making . the members must communicate their views clearly and appreciate the views of others . the board members would be exposed to a wide range of material including content that is confronting and offensive . every film and computer game has to be classified before it can be legally made available to the public . some publications also need to be classified . failure to give classification especially for unclassified material that is likely to be classified rc is an implicit ban except for exempt films games and publications . it is an offence to display demonstrate sell hire publicly exhibit or advertise a film or computer game without having it classified . some films and documentaries such as current affairs and those created for business scientific and education purposes are exempt from classification unless if classified they d be m or above . 7 there are legal age restrictions for the ratings of ma15 and r18 . x18 is a special restriction rating for adult content . the other classification categories g pg and m are merely recommendations and they are not submitted to legal age restrictions . rc banned material can not be sold hired or distributed to any persons . a film or video game s context is crucial in determining whether a classifiable element is justified by the story line or themes . the classification board decides what consumer advice accompanies each classification . they indicate the elements in films and computer games which caused the classification and help consumers make choices about what they read view or play . there are six classifiable elements for films themes rape suicide racism etc. violence the level of violence and how threatening it is in its context sex intercourse and references to sex language the level of coarse language drug use the use of and references to drugs and nudity the explicitness of nudity . consumer advice appears with the classification symbol on products packaging and in advertisements . consumer advice is not given if the element in question would be acceptable at a lower classification . 8 the classification board also classifies material submitted from the police the australian customs and border protection service and the australian communications and media authority . the board does not classify live performances audio cds and television shows . television is regulated by the australian communications and media authority . 9 film and video game classifications edit unrestricted advisory edit the classifications below are unrestricted and may require parental advisory but do not impose any legal restrictions on access to or distribution of material . 10 11 exempt e only very specific types of material including educational material and artistic performances can be exempt from classification and the material can not contain anything that exceeds the constraints of the pg classification . 12 the assessment of exemption may be made by the distributor or exhibitor self assessed without needing to submit the product for certification by the classification board . self assessed exempt films can not use the official marking although it is advised that films and computer games that are self assessed as exempt display this film computer game is exempt from classification . general g contains material available for general viewing . this category does not necessarily designate a children s film or game . although not mandatory at this category the board may provide consumer information . consumer advice at g classification usually relates to impacts on very young children . the content is very mild in impact . violence must be minimal mild and incidental . frightening or intense scenes should not be disturbing to anyone of primary school age . themes must have a low threat and be justified by context . sexual activity nudity and drug use may only be very discreetly implied or verbal referenced . coarse language should be very mild and infrequent and justified by context . parental guidance pg not recommended for viewing or playing by people under 15 without guidance from parents or guardians . contains material that young viewers may find confusing or upsetting . the content is mild in impact . violence should be mild and infrequent and should be presented in a stylised or theatrical fashion or in an historical context . themes should have a mild sense of menace or threat and be discreet . frightening or intense scenes should be mildly frightening and have low intensity . sex nudity and drug use should be mild infrequent discreetly implied and justified by context . coarse language should be mild and infrequent and be justified by context . mature m recommended for people aged 15 years and over . people under 15 may legally access this material because it is an advisory category . this category contains material that may require a mature perspective but is not deemed too strong for younger viewers . the content is moderate in impact . moderate violence is permitted and realistic violence with low intensity may be depicted if justified by context . sexual violence must be very limited and justified by context . coarse language may be used . sexual activity may be discreetly implied if justified by context . sexual references should not be strong and should be brief . themes should have a moderate sense of menace or threat and be discreet . frightening or intense scenes should be moderately frightening or intense and should not disturb an average teenager . drug use can be discreetly depicted in context . nudity should be justified by context . restricted edit by contrast the classifications below are legally restricted it is illegal to sell or exhibit material so classified to anyone younger than the mentioned minimum age . 10 11 mature accompanied ma15 contains material that is considered unsuitable for exhibition by persons under the age of 15 . people under 15 may legally purchase rent exhibit or view such content only under the supervision or accompany of an adult guardian . a person may be asked to show proof of age before hiring or purchasing an ma15 film or computer game . the content is strong in impact . realistic violence of medium intensity is permitted . violent depictions with a high degree or realism is accepted only if justified by context . stylised violence however can be more detailed . strong violence is permitted although if it is bloody and strong it should be infrequent or justified by context . sexual violence is permitted only if it is not frequent gratuitous or exploitative . sexual activity may be discreetly implied or simulated . nudity is permitted but in a sexual context it should not be exploitative . frightening or intense scenes should not disturb a reasonable adult . aggressive and very strong coarse language may be used but it should not be exploitative even one use of the word cunt usually results in this rating . drug use may be depicted but not in an advocatory manner . themes if strong should be justified by context . restricted r18 contains material that is considered unsuitable for exhibition by persons under the age of 18 . people under 18 may not legally buy rent exhibit or view r18 classified content . a person may be asked for proof of their age before purchasing hiring or viewing an r18 film or computer game at a retail store or cinema . some material classified r18 may be offensive to sections of the adult community . the content is high in impact . realistic and explicit depictions of violence is permitted but violence that is frequently gratuitous cruel exploitative and offensive to a reasonable adult will not be permitted . themes can have a very high degree of intensity but should not be exploitative . sexual violence is permitted only to the extent that they are necessary to the narrative and not exploitative or not shown in detail . sexual activity can be realistically simulated but depiction of actual sexual activity is not permitted . drug use can be shown but not gratuitously detailed and should also not be promoted or encouraged . for computer games drug use related to incentives and rewards is not permitted . nudity in a sexual context should not include obvious genital contact . coarse language is virtually unrestricted . restricted x18 contains only material that is sexually explicit in nature . people under 18 may not buy rent exhibit or view these films . the exhibition or sale of these films to people under the age of 18 years is a criminal offence carrying a maximum fine of 5 500 . films classified as x18 are