Review to target censorship and labelling red tape
Associate Minister of Justice and Minister of Internal Affairs Nathan Guy has announced a targeted review of the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 to reduce the cost burden on industry.
“This review will be tightly focussed on administrative processes and compliance costs for industry,” says Mr Guy.
“The film and video industry are hamstrung by some outdated labelling requirements. For example, a proposal to allow the printing of rating and classification labels directly onto the advertising covers for DVDs and computer games could save up to $2.4 million a year.
“We are also looking at the some of the timeframes around the review of classifications, which are too long and contain unnecessary delays. This is an important step in removing red tape.
“The current rating and classification categories will not be changed.
“The review will be carried out jointly by the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Internal Affairs. The Chief Censor, the industry, and the Film and Video Labelling Body have all expressed support for this review of compliance costs.”