Following last week’s news that Australia had effectively ended the debate process that would argue the case for an 18+ game classification, the Australian government has staged a surprise turnaround by allowing a discussion paper on the matter to go public.

It was South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson who had ended the discussion process last week. However, yesterday's Standing Committee of Attorneys-General meeting in Brisbane saw Victorian Attorney-General Rob Hulls lobby other ministers to motion the discussion paper. And, with approval from Australia’s censorship ministers, that discussion paper is set for distribution by the end of this year.

That discussion paper is, for all intents and purposes, a referendum without final power. It means that members of the Australian public are given the chance to record their thoughts on the matter, and considering that a recent survey showed that 91 percent of the Australian public was for an 18+ classification, it gives the electorate a chance to mount pressure on the upper echelons of the Australian government.

The discussion paper is scheduled to be available on the internet. It will also be given to associated parties such as games industry groups and family associations to seek their views.

The need for unanimous Attorney-General support means that the surprise turnaround was due to Mr. Atkinson changing his position on the matter. As yet, the Attorney General has not publicly discussed why he initially rejected the proposals, and why he is favoring them now.