CENSORSHIP IN AUSTRALIA 1917-2025 MOVIES

AUSTRALIAN FILM CENSORSHIP TIMELINE 1917-2025 MOVIE FILMS – In Australia, the Commonwealth Film Censorship Board was established in 1917, with the remit – TO CUT or COMPLETELY BAN – to register, to view, and then to censor all movie films imported from overseas, plus all Australian movie films. PARTIAL LIST OF MOVIE FILMS, BANNED AND CENSORED IN AUSTRALIA.

FILM CENSORSHIP IN AUSTRALIA.  Our “Australian Film Censorship Board” typically issues just one censorship certificate for each movie film cinema release, and that one censorship certificate includes Australian home video releases on VHS BETA LASERDISC DVD BLU-RAY 4K-UHD. However, the “Australian Film Censorship Board” does NOT issue censorship certificates for Australian free-to-air television, Australian Foxtel cable television, Australian internet video streaming services such as VIMEO, YouTube, YouTube Premium, Foxtel GO, Foxtel Binge, Foxtel Kayo, Foxtel Hayu, Foxtel Max, HBOmax, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Disney+, Paramount+  . . .  et cetera. Now you know why an uncut show is rated MA15+ when on Foxtel, and the exact same show containing the exact same content (i.e. uncut) is rated R18+ when issued on Australian DVD BLU-RAY 4K-UHD.

“Disney VOD Disney+ Version Cuts” are usually equivalent to “Airline Version Cuts” where sound and image are permanently altered to reduce the existing MPA classification rating down to MPA rated G rather than MPA rated PG.

“Censor Cuts” made by the “Australian Film Censorship Board” located in Sydney Australia, deliberately prevented Australians from watching movie film, exactly as intended by the director of each movie.

Film Censorship In Australia, since the 1950s “Distributor Cuts” made by each “Australian Cinema Distributor” to obtain a reduction in the Censorship Classification”.    In all Australian states and territories ((excepting for QUEENSLAND in all years from 1971 until 1983)) since the introduction on Monday 15th November 1971 of the R censorship certificate, typically changing the Australian classification from R to M. However in Australia since the introduction from Saturday 1st May 1993, of the MA censorship certificate – typically from R to MA, plus alternately from MA to M. However sometimes classification change, from M to PG requested by the distributor, to increase the size of the available cinema audience for the movie film. Sometimes PG to G classification change requested by the distributor, to increase the size of the available cinema audience for the movie film.

In recent years “Distributor Cuts” to remove/alter image/sound content for Australian cinema movie films, have included major cinema releases such as  Bruno (2009);  The Hangover (2009);  Manchester by the Sea (2016);  Lady Bird (2017);  Bumblebee (2018);  Jumanji- The Next Level (2019); and  John Wick- Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and YES all the many cuts are fully itemised online (use GOOGLE SEARCH) – – – Of course no-one is allowed to advertise that the Australian DVD BLU-RAY 4K-UHD version is uncut/cut.

The ‘R’ censorship classification system was finally introduced throughout Australia, by the Australian Federal Minister for Customs and Excise, Don Chipp. The R was one of four new categories of film classifications to come into effect: G (General Exhibition), NRC (Not Recommended for Children), M (Mature) and R (Restricted to audiences aged over 18). The so-called ‘R day’ being Monday 15th November 1971 with Australian adults finally able to watch cinema movies with the classification “R for Restricted Exhibition”. Of course all the legislative rules about not showing female nudity were applied when DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (1971) was classified ‘M’ for Mature Audiences, on 1st December 1971 by the Australian Film Censorship Board, with its Australian cinema release date on 23rd December 1971. In the sequence before the opening titles, James Bond suddenly removes a brown bikini top from a sun bathing woman, showing her partly tanned chest and untanned left breast, and her left nipple is immediately seen. Of course James Bond needs to use her bikini to strangle her, to obtain the vital information of the precise location of Blofeld – – – DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (1971) the Australia Film Censorship Board ordered the elimination of “all shots of female nudity, being the woman’s left breast, and her left nipple” i.e. Australia Film Censorship Board insisted that the brief female nudity is never seen by Australians. UNITED ARTISTS (A’ASIA) PTY LTD, when requested, made the one distributor cut to all their 35mm film prints of DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (1971), reducing the official running time of 120:6 minutes by less than one second.

For the 1959 cinema re-release, of FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956) to obtain the classification rating of (A) SUITABLE ONLY FOR ADULTS – CHILDREN UNDER 16 NOT ADMITTED, the Australia Film Censorship Board ordered the elimination of “all shots of alleged nuclear monster”; i.e., Australia Film Censorship Board insisted that the Id Monster is never seen, but you could see the footprints and the bending of the steps on the spaceship. The animated sequence of the film, showing the attack by the red colored “Id Monster”, was created by the veteran animator Joshua Meador, who was lent out to MGM by Walt Disney Pictures. During the attack on the spaceship, the now visible Id monster (only the outline of the Id Monster is seen, colored red) as it tries to go through the electronic fence on the perimeter (the force field), and also because the Id Monster has been caught in the crewman’s high-energy blaster beams. When Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer reissued FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956) in the early 1970s as part of a kiddie-matinée package, the scene where Jerry Farman cons the socially naive Altaira into kissing him was excised in USA. In Australia, however, that kissing scene was screened, uncut, in the early 1960s in the children’s Saturday matinée called the Kine Club, at Hoyts Cinema, in Port Adelaide.

In 2019 Margaret Anderson (Chief Censor) of the Australian Classification Board (ACB) was quoted as saying “censorship is not on the agenda and, unlike other equivalent offices around the world, the ACB does not recommend CUTS to film and game producers”. Originally called “Commonwealth Board of Film Censors” (CBFC); became “Film Censorship Board” (FCB); then became “Office of Film and Literature Classification” (OFLC); and currently called “Australian Classification Board” (ACB).

Many uncut/cut films remain BANNED in Australia, due to “offensive content” or “violent content” or “obscenity” or “graphic depictions of teenage sex, incest, and auto-erotic asphyxiation” or “cruel, disturbing, and sexually explicit content” OR “grounds of obscenity”; “deemed blasphemous”; “encouraged criminal activity and antisocial behaviour” OR “content that would be contrary to public decency and undesirable to public interest” or “graphic violent death” or “promotes and supports bestiality” or “uses an act of extreme violence with sexual gratification” or “promotes and supports the use of violence to compel any person to submit to sexual conduct” or “sexual violence involving young people” or “gore, violence and sexually explicit content” or “objectionable content” or “invitation to enjoy cruel and violent behaviour” or “sexual exploitation of children”.

Of course in Australia, the Commonwealth Film Censorship Board was established in 1917, BUT the critical important details, all about the necessary Australian Censorship cuts, the total footage length deleted, and/or total number of seconds deleted, are as always, all that information can never ever be published, and can never ever be advertised. HOWEVER since 1971 Australian Cinemas have taken to advertising UNCUT, when Australian Cinemas re-release UNCUT versions of the same movie film.

Movie Films that are BANNED in Australia, have been considered to be offensive against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by “reasonable adults” to the extent that they should not be classified. Movie Films can be BANNED by the Australian Classification Board (ACB) if they “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”, “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 “promote, incite or instruct in matters of crime or violence”. Additionally, the RC classification is mandatory for any classifiable work, that advocates the commission of a terrorist act under section 9A of the Classification Act of 1995.

Movie Films that are BANNED by the Australian Classification Board (ACB) are labelled “Refused Classification” (RC), and the sale, distribution, public exhibition and/or importation of RC material is a criminal offence punishable by a fine up to A$687,500 and/or up to ten years imprisonment. SUCH PENALTIES DO NOT APPLY TO INDIVIDUALS, but rather do apply to the individuals responsible for and/or corporations responsible for the distributing or the exhibiting of such films to a wider audience.

With this in mind, yes it is legal to access films, that are RC material via the internet, and while personal ownership of Movie Films that are RC material is legal, except in Western Australia and in the prescribed areas of the Northern Territory and/or if the films contain illegal content (i.e. child abuse material).

* * * WHY FILMS ARE CUT BY CENSOR * * *

* In Sydney Australia, on Monday, The Commonwealth Film Censor (Mr. Alexander), explained (fully) today that there was no irrevocable film ban on expletives, such as “bloody” if they were used naturally, and without emphasis and were essential to the humour of the dialogue.

*** However, it was usual for the Film Censorship Board to ban the following scenes –

* Fight scenes depicting kicking.

* Scenes portraying new angles on criminal technique.

* Inaccurate overseas commentaries that would irritate Australian audiences.

* Films implying that crime pays dividends.

* Horror scenes likely to shock the minds of audiences.

* “We judge each scene on its merits, recognising the important part that the (cinema) screen plays in the national life,” Mr. Alexander added.

* Mr. Alexander said he did not agree with a commonly expressed view that western and cowboy films and certain types of thriller encouraged juvenile delinquency.

* “I am convinced from the opinion of medical men and psychiatrists that the impact of such films on the child mind is very transitory, and seldom a great, as on the adult mind.” Mr. Alexander said.

* THE SUN – PAGE 3 – Tuesday 20th January 1948.

* * * Horror films like FRANKENSTEIN, were a particular problem for the Commonwealth Film Censorship Board. They were popular, but they were also a frequent subject of complaints by Parents and Citizens Associations, and church groups. Australia decided to banish all horror movies in early 1948, and that might have been just an easy win for the at-the-time Chief Film Censor, Mr. J. O. Alexander. It would appease pro-censorship groups, who were concerned about the influence of films on young minds, and since no horror movies were being released anyway, who would complain? Justified as being, UNDESIRABLE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST, on Thursday 22nd April 1948, all horror movies were banned . * * *

APPENDIX – years 1911 to 2025 – PLEASE NOTE – Movies from 2025 and going back to 1911 are hereafter itemised. There are more than one hundred years of censorship – There are more than one thousand movies listed. Please use FIND or SEARCH to locate the film(s) that you are curious about.