Group collects over 16,000 pro-R18+ responses

Independent advocacy group Grow Up Australia's partnership with game retailer EB Games to urge people to make a submission into the Australian government's public consultation for an R18+ classification for video games has been met with strong support--16,055 strong, to be precise.

As a result of the ongoing partnership--which included posters on R18+ displayed in all EB stores across Australia and an online submission form via the EB Web site--Grow Up Australia has to date received 16,055 pro-R18+ submissions that will now be sent to the Federal Attorney-General's department as part of the R18+ public consultation.

This number almost triples the last recorded number of submissions made in the government's R18+ public consultation. Earlier this month, Helen Daniels, assistant secretary of the Copyright and Classification Policy Branch, told a Senates Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee in Canberra that as of February 1, 2010, the government had received 6,239 submissions into the R18+ public consultation.

Of that figure, the Classification Policy Branch had only processed 1,084 so far and found the majority to be pro-R18+, with only 11 against R18+.

Founder of Grow Up Australia Aaron John Percival said support for the introduction of the R18+ rating has been overwhelming. "99 percent of the submissions made through our Web site have been in favour of the change," he said.

With less than a week to go until the deadline for submissions, Grow Up Australia says there is still an opportunity for people to have their say. To make a submission to the R18+ public consultation, visit the Federal Attorney-General's Department Web site before February 28.

For more on classification, check out GameSpot AU's Aussie Games Classification FAQ feature.