🚀 go-pugleaf

Hello,


I run anti-censorship Web sites at:
http://anthonylarme.tripod.com/gc/index.html
and
http://anthonylarme.tripod.com/phantas/phci.html

When applications for 10 positions of OFLC
Classification Board members were called for
back in April, I decided to apply and see
where it would lead.  

After all, it pays well at around $70K per year 
and no formal academic qualifications are required!  
Perhaps anyone could be a censor?!  

I have a Master of IT degree and six years of experience
communicating with like-minded people over the
Internet.  Surely, I thought, I'd have a chance.

I was not selected for an interview, but I did
manage to get some post-selection feedback by
the consultant employed to process the applications.

This is what I found out during a recent
telephone consultation with the consultant:

In many ways, he was a tight-lipped, *but*
I  *did* learn some useful things:

* 900+ applied, 45 were short-listed.  10 will eventually
be appointed.

* The #1 criterion was "broad involvement in the community".
....he said it meant that the applicants should show that
they meet lots of people in a wide variety of situations -
people that have a variety of opinions.  Thus, narrowly
defined interests, eg: people only into computers and/or
the Internet, was not acceptable.

* His favourite word over the 15 minutes was "broad".
eg:
- those 45 people ranged in ages from 20s to 70s!
- those 45 people were from both rural and city areas
and all states.
- those 45 people were roughly 50-50 male-female.
.....he suspects the end result will broadly reflect the
composition of the Australian community!  But, mind you,
those 45 have to be whittled down to 10 and those
AG's can be very political!  He is aware of concern that
the average age of the classifiers has traditionally been
too old...but he did mention that the Board also had to
take into account Australia's ageing population.

* His company is now out of the
picture as those 45 have been handed over to the
Attorney General's Dept.  They will do further
interviews and shortlists.  Some applicants near the
end of this process will be required to show they
can classify controversial porno products!  After all, he
said, porn = about 60% of the OFLC's business!

* Some will be interviewed in Sydney, and others in other
cities, but they will all eventually need to work
in Sydney.

* Eventually, all appointees (10 to be appointed by
10/10/02), will have to be approved by the Federal
Attorney General and the states'  AGs.  They will be
appointed for 3 years.

* He gave an example of "broad involvement"
in the community by refering to his own
interests:
- junior football
- business people
- shop floor manager
- construction industry manager

* He believes the Australian people are neither
excessively liberal nor excessively conservative......and
that applicants need to set aside their own personal
views and apply the guidelines according to those
broad community standards.  I suspect he thinks such
classifiers should choose the middle ground to try to
please most people.

* He maintained that broad involvement = leads to a very
good understanding of what the broad community
expects of classification and thus classifiers can take
those broad opinions into account when they do their job.

* Eventually, all appointees will be named and we
will get to read their biographies.  I hope that's
very soon after 10/10/02!!!


.....hmmm....on the positive side, he did say that I
clearly had a very good understanding of the
classification system!  :-)   .... it's just that he
denied I had broad community experience!


So.....that's how our censors for the next three
years have been chosen!



Sincerely,

Anthony Larme

****************************************
http://anthonylarme.tripod.com/
Phantasmagoria, Heavenly Creatures, 
Games Censorship, Point of View.
****************************************