Watch on Censorship: Forums

Proceedings from "The Big Cs - Censorship and Classification"

As adults, how free are we to hear, see and read what we want?

The Howard government minister responsible for censorship and classification, Attorney General Daryl Williams, came to a forum at Sydney's Chauvel Cinema held jointly by Watch on Censorship, the Australian Film Institute and the Film Critics' Circle of Australia to discuss this issue with a panel chaired by Margaret Pomeranz.

The Attorney General argues that the Howard government believes in classification rather than censorship, and has put in place a well-balanced process designed to provide the information necessary for members of the Australian community to make informed decisions;
but Julie Rigg from the ABC's Radio National believes that the government is actually increasingly seeking to devalue dissent and constrain criticism by all kinds of bureaucratic means, with the most recent changes to the classification process in line with that goal;
Bev Baker, President of the Federation of Parents and Citizans Associations in NSW argues that children should grow up in a healthy, safe and challenging environment, and that education and information is preferable to censorship in helping parents provide this;
film director Peter Duncan raises the issue of the bewildering difference in the classification of particular films including his own film Passion;
and David Marr, journalist and President of Watch on Censorship, insists that the Howard government is indeed a censoring government, not only for film, but for television, computer games, publications, and the internet.

What they said at the forum, how the minister responded, and the lively discussion that followed can be found in the transcription.

Download transcript. pdf format 88k

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