{"id":"F2005L01284","name":"National Classification Code (May 2005)","slug":"national-classification-code-may-2005","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":34991,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2005L01284-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"Publications","sectionType":"schedule","heading":"Publications","content":"## Publications\n\n2. Publications are to be classified in accordance with the following table:\n\n| Item | Description of publication | Classification |\n| ---- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------- |\n| 1 | Publications that:(a) describe, depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified; or(b) describe or depict in a way that is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult, a person who is, or appears to be, a child under 18 (whether the person is engaged in sexual activity or not); or(c) promote, incite or instruct in matters of crime or violence | RC |\n| 2 | Publications (except RC publications) that:(a) explicitly depict sexual or sexually related activity between consenting adults in a way that is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult; or(b) depict, describe or express revolting or abhorrent phenomena in a way that is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult and are unsuitable for a minor to see or read | Category 2 restricted |\n| 3 | Publications (except RC publications and Category 2 restricted publications) that:(a) explicitly depict nudity, or describe or impliedly depict sexual or sexually related activity between consenting adults, in a way that is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult; or(b) describe or express in detail violence or sexual activity between consenting adults in a way that is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult; or(c) are unsuitable for a minor to see or read | Category 1 restricted |\n| 4 | All other publications | Unrestricted |\n\n#####","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"Films","sectionType":"schedule","heading":"Films","content":"## Films\n\n3. Films are to be classified in accordance with the following table:\n\n| Item | Description of film | Classification |\n| ---- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- |\n| 1 | Films that:(a) depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified; or(b) describe or depict in a way that is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult, a person who is, or appears to be , a child under 18 (whether the person is engaged in sexual activity or not); or(c) promote, incite or instruct in matters of crime or violence | RC |\n| 2 | Films (except RC films) that:(a) contain real depictions of actual sexual activity between consenting adults in which there is no violence, sexual violence, sexualised violence, coercion, sexually assaultive language, or fetishes or depictions which purposefully demean anyone involved in that activity for the enjoyment of viewers, in a way that is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult; and(b) are unsuitable for a minor to see | X 18+ |\n| 3 | Films (except RC films and X 18+ films) that are unsuitable for a minor to see | R 18+ |\n| 4 | Films (except RC films, X 18+ films and R 18+ films) that depict, express or otherwise deal with sex, violence or coarse language in such a manner as to be unsuitable for viewing by persons under 15 | MA 15+ |\n| 5 | Films (except RC films, X 18+ films, R 18+ films and MA 15+ films) that cannot be recommended for viewing by persons who are under 15 | M |\n| 6 | Films (except RC films, X 18+ films, R 18+ films, MA 15+ films and M films) that cannot be recommended for viewing by persons who are under 15 without the guidance of their parents or guardians | PG |\n| 7 | All other films | G |","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"Computer Games","sectionType":"schedule","heading":"Computer Games","content":"## Computer Games\n\n4. Computer games are to be classified in accordance with the following table:\n\n| Item | Description of computer game | Classification |\n| ---- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- |\n| 1 | Computer games that:(a) depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified; or(b) describe or depict in a way that is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult, a person who is, or appears to be, a child under 18 (whether the person is engaged in sexual activity or not); or(c) promote, incite or instruct in matters of crime or violence | RC |\n| 2 | Computer games (except RC computer games) that are unsuitable for viewing or playing by a minor | R 18+ |\n| 3 | Computer games (except RC and R 18+ computer games) that depict, express or otherwise deal with sex, violence or coarse language in such a manner as to be unsuitable for viewing or playing by persons under 15 | MA 15+ |\n| 4 | Computer games (except RC, R 18+ and MA 15+ computer games) that cannot be recommended for viewing or playing by persons who are under 15 | M |\n| 5 | Computer games (except RC, R 18+, MA 15+ and M computer games) that cannot be recommended for viewing or playing by persons who are under 15 without the guidance of their parents or guardians | PG |\n| 6 | All other computer games | G |","sortOrder":2}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This appears to be the core operational code as originally intended — a classification instrument that sets out rating criteria for publications, films and computer games. There is no evidence of scope creep; the document maintains its original purpose of providing the substantive classification criteria under the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple overlapping exclusion clauses (each category excludes all previous categories, creating nested logic)","Subjective standard tests ('reasonable adult', 'likely to cause offence', 'unsuitable for a minor') that require interpretive judgment rather than bright-line rules","Slightly different classification schemes across three media types (publications use Category 1/2; films use X 18+ which games lack)","Complex conditional language in Item 2 for X 18+ films with multiple negative conditions ('no violence, sexual violence, sexualised violence, coercion...')","Cross-references between tables (RC definitions repeated across all three media types with minor variations)","Circular definitions where categories are defined by what they exclude from previous categories"],"plain_english_summary":"This is the **National Classification Code**, which sets the rules for how movies, video games, and printed material (publications) are rated in Australia. Think of it as the rulebook that decides whether something gets a G rating, an R18+ rating, or is banned outright.\n\n**What it does:**\nThe Code creates a classification system with different rating categories based on content. It covers three types of media:\n- **Publications** (books, magazines, etc.)\n- **Films** (movies)\n- **Computer games**\n\n**How the ratings work:**\n\n**For Publications:**\n- **Unrestricted** — suitable for everyone\n- **Category 1 Restricted** — contains nudity or sexual content that might offend adults; not for minors\n- **Category 2 Restricted** — contains explicit sexual activity or revolting content; not for minors\n- **RC (Refused Classification)** — effectively banned. This includes material that \"reasonable adults\" would find offensive to standards of morality, material depicting minors in sexual contexts, or content promoting crime\n\n**For Films:**\n- **G** — General audience\n- **PG** — Parental guidance recommended for under-15s\n- **M** — Recommended for mature audiences (15+), but not restricted\n- **MA 15+** — Restricted to people 15 and over\n- **R 18+** — Restricted to adults only\n- **X 18+** — Adult content with explicit real sexual activity (but no violence, coercion, or fetish content that demeans participants)\n- **RC** — Refused classification/banned\n\n**For Computer Games:**\nSimilar to films but **no X 18+ category exists** — games with explicit sexual content simply get RC (banned). Games can be G, PG, M, MA 15+, R 18+, or RC.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis Code determines what Australians can legally buy, sell, or view. RC material cannot be legally sold or distributed in Australia. The classifications affect everything from what appears in cinemas to what video games are stocked in stores. The \"reasonable adult\" test is the key standard — if content is likely to offend a hypothetical reasonable adult, it gets a higher restriction or ban.\n\n**Key quirks:**\n- The Code treats video games more strictly than films regarding sexual content (no X 18+ for games)\n- Publications have a two-tier restricted system, while films and games use age-based ratings\n- The definition of what offends \"reasonable adults\" is deliberately vague, giving classifiers flexibility but also creating uncertainty"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":7,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This version stays within the core, original objective of establishing a national set of content categories and descriptions for publications, films and computer games. It does not introduce new enforcement powers or novel subject‑matter outside these media types in the text provided. The instrument refines and orders categorical criteria (including priority ordering and age thresholds) but remains focused on classification mechanics rather than expanding scope into policing, censorship procedure, or new subject domains in this excerpt."},"complexity_factors":["Cascading exclusions across categories (repeated \"except RC\", \"except X 18+ and R 18+\" style cross‑references) requiring sequential application of items","Subjective, interpretive tests used as triggers (e.g. \"likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult\", \"unsuitable for a minor\", \"standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults\")","Different category schemes across media (publications use Category 1/2/Unrestricted/RC; films and games use G/PG/M/MA15+/R18+/X18+/RC) increasing cross‑sector complexity","Nested conditional logic within items (for example, Films Item 2 requires two conjunctive conditions (a) and (b))","Multiple media types each with their own number of levels (films 7 items, games 6 items, publications 4 items) increasing decision paths","High stakes classification outcomes (RC or age‑restricted categories) elevate the importance of borderline determinations and potential appeals","Lack of precise definitional anchors in the excerpt (no quoted definitions of key terms here) so application relies on administrative guidance or precedent"],"plain_english_summary":"This Code sets out how publications, films and computer games are classified by descriptive tests, including a Refused Classification threshold for content deemed offensive, sexual involving apparent minors, or promoting crime or violence. It affects creators, distributors, retailers and consumers (especially minors) by determining market access, age limits and commercial viability, and drives editing, compliance costs and discretionary administrative decision‑making."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/national-classification-code-may-2005","history":"/api/acts/national-classification-code-may-2005/history","analysis":"/api/acts/national-classification-code-may-2005/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/national-classification-code-may-2005/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/national-classification-code-may-2005/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/national-classification-code-may-2005/documents"}}