Censorship is the term that refers to the control of speech and other forms of human expression. It is mainly exercised by the government or governing bodies. The motive of censorship is often to stabilize or improve the society that the government has control over. It is most commonly applied to public circumstances and involves suppression of ideas. Censorship can be applied to many publications such as movies, games, books and magazines. There have been many changes to the laws and severity of classification of movies since classification began in 1908. In addition, there has been controversy regarding a number of films regarding their classification. One of the more recent cases was involved the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It was believed among many that the classification the movie received, M 15+, was too harsh and would be detrimental to the gross intake.
Censorship is a tool used by governments, celebrities and many others to protect certain information, an image or their reputation. There are laws surrounding censorship and what must be censored. When information is being delivered to the public (movies and music) certain terms and words (profanities and suggestive terms) must be edited out. Censorship is a vital law that assists private and inappropriate information kept away from the public.
Classification of movies and publications is conducted by The Office of Film and Literature Classification. The Office administered a scheme; The National Classification Scheme, in which the Classification Board classifies films (including videos and DVDs), computer games and some publications on behalf of States and Territories. The scheme began on 1 January 1996. The National Classification Scheme is overseen by the Australian Government, State and Territory Censorship Ministers. The Censorship Ministers meet twice a year to discuss the operation of the scheme, legislation and other issues. Censorship Ministers are not involved in...