Fallout 3 In Australia: The Real Skinny
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
the man is clearly an idiot wilfully arguing a flawed point. Even if you were for the videogames promote violence rubbish this policy would be good for you too. But it doesn't matter it costs $60 to import fallout 3 buy from a retailer about 50 more than that no point not ordering. Australian gamers don't just get screwed on titles they get screwed on price too.
I'm shocked and surprised at this article - I thought The Escapist was better than this.
First of all, Yug isn't a qualified legal practitioner, as would be patently obvious had you asked him his background. His dispensing legal advice is not only negligent, it's downright dangerous.
Secondly, his advice is incorrect. Dangerously so - the Australian Attorney General has made it very clear that importation of RC classified goods into Australia is treated as importation of restricted goods and is an offence against the Customs Act as recently as last year:
http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/rwpattach.nsf/VAP/(CFD7369FCAE9B8F32F341DBE097801FF)~aP0000CPBInformation+for+Importation++Comments+from+Customs+29+June+2007.PDF/$file/aP0000CPBInformation+for+Importation++Comments+from+Customs+29+June+2007.PDF
Thirdly, this would have been very obvious had you done the 10 minutes of research required. The Australian Customs site makes it very clear, as does the Attorney General. The Customs Act also makes it clear that importation of restricted goods carries a penalty.
I'm not a lawyer, and this is most definitely not legal advice. However, it's also very clear that the situation isn't anywhere near as friendly as Yug makes out. Anyone who decides to import a restricted good into Australia does so at their own risk - while he's probably correct that there's no jail time (that's reserved for importation of narcotic goods which carries absolute liability), he's not correct in implying that it's free of penalty.
This is journalism of the poorest sort. 'Firing off an email' on a legal issues and reporting the results as fact? Not very professional, Escapist.
First of all, Yug isn't a qualified legal practitioner, as would be patently obvious had you asked him his background. His dispensing legal advice is not only negligent, it's downright dangerous.
Secondly, his advice is incorrect. Dangerously so - the Australian Attorney General has made it very clear that importation of RC classified goods into Australia is treated as importation of restricted goods and is an offence against the Customs Act as recently as last year:
http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/rwpattach.nsf/VAP/(CFD7369FCAE9B8F32F341DBE097801FF)~aP0000CPBInformation+for+Importation++Comments+from+Customs+29+June+2007.PDF/$file/aP0000CPBInformation+for+Importation++Comments+from+Customs+29+June+2007.PDF
Thirdly, this would have been very obvious had you done the 10 minutes of research required. The Australian Customs site makes it very clear, as does the Attorney General. The Customs Act also makes it clear that importation of restricted goods carries a penalty.
I'm not a lawyer, and this is most definitely not legal advice. However, it's also very clear that the situation isn't anywhere near as friendly as Yug makes out. Anyone who decides to import a restricted good into Australia does so at their own risk - while he's probably correct that there's no jail time (that's reserved for importation of narcotic goods which carries absolute liability), he's not correct in implying that it's free of penalty.
This is journalism of the poorest sort. 'Firing off an email' on a legal issues and reporting the results as fact? Not very professional, Escapist.
He is very right, importation of RC games (or media of any type) carries up to $275,000 (roughly) fines and up to 10 years imprisonment. And it is getting more and more risky as it becomes more and more popular (importing games that is). You are able to get a permit as that article says...but good luck getting one "Cause I am 18 and I can handle that game." just won't cut it.EvanAustralia said:
There is at least one semi-prominent video game journalist [http://blogs.theage.com.au/screenplay/] hammering regularly on the twin columns of injustice of Australian video gaming: the lack of an R18+ rating and ridiculous overpricing [http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/articles/gamers-gouged/2008/07/15/1215887633833.html]. But it doesn't make much of a stir. It's the last thing on a politician's mind: the video-gamer demographic is not exactly politically sensitive, and the typical young voter of game-playing age votes for the progressive party anyway, so pandering to them achieves nothing. Most of the swing voters in the politically borderline regions are young families (many of them evangelical Christians), so the Government will always come down on the side of 'values'. It's just gonna take time.
How do you stop kids from playing 18 rated games? what possible godly power could stop the mass murderer/next hitler/rapist- producing, world ending, heinous event of a child playing fallout? surely not FAMILY SETTINGS?!