By Kath Gelber
As machinations continue over the development of guidelines for the new Non-Violent Erotica (NVE) category for film and video, public access to a range of erotic films and videos looks set to be drastically reduced.
Following its election in 1996, the federal government has been attempting to tighten up the old "X" classification for film and video. Instead of banning X-rated material outright — as demanded by members of the Liberal Party's conservative Lyons Forum — the federal government announced in April that it would ban depictions of "demeaning", "degrading" or "offensive" acts and some "fetishes".
State and federal ministers, at their most recent meeting in mid-July, failed to agree on the exact terms of these new guidelines. It was reported that conservative Tasmanian and Queensland attorneys-general were the recalcitrants — ironically winning a reprieve for current classifications which will remain in force until agreement is reached at the next ministers' meeting in December.
The concept of an NVE category was initially welcomed by industry lobby groups, such as the Eros Foundation, which argued that it would allow the classification regime to differentiate consensual erotica for adults and violence. While many videos which contained high levels of violence, including gratuitous blood and gore, were receiving "R" classifications, depictions of consensual sexual activity between adults were more heavily restricted with an "X" classification. Violence, under the current guidelines, is considered to be more acceptable than sexual activity.
However, the introduction of the NVE category appears to be opening the door for greater, rather than less, restriction on adult films and videos. Under proposals currently being mooted, depictions which are currently legal in X-rated films and likely to be banned under the NVE rating include bondage, S/M, candle wax, spanking and fisting. Although these activities are consensual and therefore legal, their depiction on film may become illegal.
Some Lyons Forum members are lobbying to ban other depictions as well, including anal sex and group sex. There is clear concern about the possibilities of restricting any form of non-heterosexual, missionary position sex within these guidelines.
Increasing censorship is not only looming over film and video. The federal government is reviewing publications guidelines in September in a bid to restrict magazine content.
On July 15, minister for communications Richard Alston and attorney-general Daryl Williams announced principles for a national approach to regulate the content of on-line services such as the internet. "On-line services should be subject to the same restrictions as off-line material such as books, videos, films and computer games", announced Williams. This could raise further problems, as computer games already face greater restrictions than published material due to their "interactive" nature.
The federal government is hoping to develop a uniform national approach to censorship of all these materials in consultation with the states. It is the unelected state censorship, classification and review boards which retain responsibility for interpretation and implementation of the guidelines on a case by case basis.
The Eros Foundation is calling on the public to lobby against greater censorship laws before a final decision is made.