Video Porn ‘on Sale In Shops’ (Press, 10 September 1981)

On 10 September 1981, Patricia Bartlett, the national secretary of the Society for Promotion of Community Standards, raised concerns regarding the Customs Department's policies on feature films available on video cassettes. In a letter addressed to the Minister of Customs, Mr Templeton, Bartlett highlighted the issue of questionable films being available for sale and rental. She posed several questions regarding Customs' regulatory measures, particularly concerning films that had been altered by the Film Censor due to content related to sex or violence, especially those films that were approved for restricted viewing (RlB) but were being imported in their uncut versions. Bartlett inquired whether Customs systematically checked film titles against the Censor's records to verify running times, ascertain any cuts made, or identify any films that had been banned before allowing their release to commercial distributors or individuals. She sought clarification on the protocol followed if a film’s running time exceeded that of the Censor’s approved version—whether these copies would be referenced back to the Censor for necessary cuts, released in their unedited form, denied release, or modified by Customs. Furthermore, she questioned the number of personnel tasked with reviewing video cassettes and whether there was a need for additional staffing to manage this workload. Additionally, Bartlett sought to understand the classification processes employed by Customs regarding video films, specifically whether they classified films as G, RlB, and Indecent or only as Decent and Indecent. She requested information on the criteria used for deeming a film as Indecent and the quantity of such films that the department had confiscated during that year. Bartlett expressed concern over the increasing trend of Australian companies producing hard-core video films due to an oversupply of ordinary films readily available in cinemas and on television. She noted that these films were being advertised in New Zealand and new titles were consistently being introduced each month. With the escalating competition in the market, she warned that importers might find creative ways to circumvent Customs regulations regarding video imports. Furthermore, Bartlett highlighted the potential legal ambiguity surrounding the classification of video tapes under the Indecent Publications Act. She cautioned that it could take up to three years to ascertain whether the Act applied to video tapes, during which time unregulated indecent video tapes might proliferate across the country due to the prevailing uncertainty.

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