Home And Away Too Saucy For Rating

[-Chris-]

October 04, 2007 03:45pm Article from: AAP

Channel Seven Melbourne breached broadcasting rules by airing episodes of Home and Away - featuring pole-dancing and sex talk - that were too saucy for the their "G" classification.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) today said the channel breached the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice when it aired episodes on February 21, March 23 and March 26 this year.

ACMA found the episodes, rated G, should have been rated PG.

ACMA investigated the episodes after receiving Melbourne viewer complaints.

The February episode, dealing with a teenage couple's decision to have sex, contained verbal references to sex and visual depictions of sexual behaviour which were not brief, infrequent or mild in impact, the ACMA found.

In the March episodes, a man encouraged his girlfriend to take up pole-dancing, although she was reluctant to do so.

The ACMA determined the pole-dancing scenes contained in the episodes contained "visual depictions of sexual behaviour, that their impact was higher than very mild, and that the episodes were not suitable for children to watch without supervision".

Seven has advised ACMA it will take more care in future.

[emmasi]

*Snort* That's so funny. And ironic too, that they use that nice picture of Martha in her skimpy little outfit to speak out about how wrong it was to show her like that. Sex sells, eh AAP?

I do agree, they should have been PG episodes. It's just so interesting to me that something like this is actually news-worthy. Good old muck-raking media. If it doesn't have a short skirt you can almost see up - or see up completely, preferably - they don't want to know about it. Ah the enlightened age we live in. . I think some scantily clad professional acrobatics, and some teenagers' right to talk about consensual sexual activity, is the least of this world's evils.

[John]

*Snort* That's so funny. And ironic too, that they use that nice picture of Martha in her skimpy little outfit to speak out about how wrong it was to show her like that. Sex sells, eh AAP?

I do agree, they should have been PG episodes. It's just so interesting to me that something like this is actually news-worthy. Good old muck-raking media. If it doesn't have a short skirt you can almost see up - or see up completely, preferably - they don't want to know about it. Ah the enlightened age we live in. . I think some scantily clad professional acrobatics, and some teenagers' right to talk about consensual sexual activity, is the least of this world's evils.

You're right on Emmasi!! The classification people are a mile out of touch with today's children. As a former primary school teacher I can tell you that all of the 4,5 and 6th graders I had anything to do with knew all about pole dancing, people having sex and even rape for that matter. ( remembers all the argument about Danni's "assault". )

[Andy]

The first complaint is about Episode 4358, which aired on Wednesday February 21st. In this episode Belle sleeps with Lucas whilst she still has feelings for Drew. The episode includes a scene depicting the couple in bed implicitly after having had sex discussing what has occurred. Belle is later shown to regret her decision.

The ACMA found that ten scenes, amounting to almost half the episode, are devoted to the storyline of the teenage couple's decision to have sex. Half of these involved a direct discussion, in which a female character regretted having sex. However, the ACMA found that the frequency and length of the scenes exceeded the requirement that material in G rated programs be very mild in impact.

The second complaint revolved around two episodes that aired in March revolving around Martha's pole-dancing storyline. Martha (Jodi Gordon) is being coerced into pole-dancing by Cam (Ashley Lyons) against her will. She is shown in a crop top and short skirt dancing and swinging around a pole at the front of the stage to an audience of enthusiastic males who whistle and cheer. In another scene she is shown swinging and dancing around the pole in a two piece leotard, but soon stops when she realises some of her friends are in the audience on Peter's buck's night.

Seven defended the depiction arguing that the program was G-rated because it contained no nudity and that pole-pancing was no longer considered erotic but had become standard on dance floors and in ballroom competitions. Seven argued that the scenes were neccessary to depict Martha's anxiety and that the point of the story is about Martha being pressured and manipulated into dancing and the rift that her decision creates between herself and her family and friends.

The ACMA disagreed and found the pole dancing depicted was sexual behaviour and the content excessive for a G classification, having more than a mild impact on children. It concluded that children watching unsupervised may be disturbed by the sexual exploitation of a woman by a man with whom she is romantically involved.

Seven will amend Home and Away to a default classification of PG as a result of the ACMA findings and has advised the ACMA that all episodes are now classified to a default rating of PG "to better accomodate the program's storylines and reflect the increasing age of the program's viewing audience"

You can read the full media release here: http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_310741

and the full reports can be downloaded:

http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/main/...me_and_away.pdf - teenage sex

http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/main/...me_and_away.pdf - Martha's Pole Dancing eps

[Ryan]

On the radio today, there was something about a centre in Wales offering pole dancing for 11 y.o.

[ter06]

7pm is hardly afternoon viewing though so I don't see what all the fuss is about. Look at some of the things Emmerdale gets away with here in a 7pm timeslot.

[emmasi]

The ACMA disagreed and found the pole dancing depicted was sexual behaviour and the content excessive for a G classification, having more than a mild impact on children. It concluded that children watching unsupervised may be disturbed by the sexual exploitation of a woman by a man with whom she is romantically involved.

I don't know many G-rated children who would understand that level of content, let alone be "disturbed" by it. In my experience, any confusion of that nature can be explained away by "He's a bad man. It's not nice to make people do things they don't want to." Tada. And a valuable lesson learned too.

Seven will amend Home and Away to a default classification of PG as a result of the ACMA findings and has advised the ACMA that all episodes are now classified to a default rating of PG "to better accomodate the program's storylines and reflect the increasing age of the program's viewing audience"

If the default's gone to PG, does that mean that all the episodes will be more adult from now on? And if so, won't the families (who doubtful will notice that the rating's been changed, only that what they thought was a family show is now an edgey teen-to-twenty-something drama) be even more shocked and apalled? AND if PG is now the default, meaning that all episodes could, by rights, be up to that morally outrageous, young-mind-destroying standard, where will H&A go when they want to do something REALLY shocking?? Is this the first step towards our much fantasised about M rated episodes? What will the parents say then!

"Won't somebody PLEASE think of the children!!!"

Way to shoot yourselves in the foot, ACMA

[Andy]

Seven will amend Home and Away to a default classification of PG as a result of the ACMA findings and has advised the ACMA that all episodes are now classified to a default rating of PG "to better accomodate the program's storylines and reflect the increasing age of the program's viewing audience"

If the default's gone to PG, does that mean that all the episodes will be more adult from now on? And if so, won't the families (who doubtful will notice that the rating's been changed, only that what they thought was a family show is now an edgey teen-to-twenty-something drama) be even more shocked and apalled? AND if PG is now the default, meaning that all episodes could, by rights, be up to that morally outrageous, young-mind-destroying standard, where will H&A go when they want to do something REALLY shocking?? Is this the first step towards our much fantasised about M rated episodes? What will the parents say then!

They came close once with the Olympic Cliffhanger "Siege" episode, 13 August 2004:

The ABA has some concerns about the intensity of the psychological violence and its sustained impact over the 30 minute episode. The ABA considered whether the episode was unsuitable for PG classification and was more suitable for M classification. On balance, and for the reasons below, the ABA is satisfied that the visual depiction of violence fell within the PG classification, although at the high end of the PG classification

.

[Frankie]

These obviously people live on a different planet form the rest of us.... kids in kindie talk about boy and girl friends, primary school kids know what pole dancing is.. and you can buy a pole dancing kit in the supermarket for your kid for xmas... and at the same time the pundits say we are over protecting our kids... I wish they would get real. Some kids get upset over the wolf in red riding hood... is that going to be classified as PG? Mind you... some woman is demanding all kids books which don't have a happy ending should be burned ...

I would love to see an M rated HAA... maybe a few occasional specials after 8,30... like the UK soap specials... now that would be cool!

[emmasi]

Yes it would! And if you believe the university nuts, that wolf wants to do more to little red than eat her . By the interpretation of adults - not of the children they're supposedly trying to protect - that one should be R rated at the very least! Filthy, sinful, EVIL story it is. You know, Lucas and Belle clearly should have had an R rating on their pillow talk, because by Lucas saying "wow, that was great," clearly every child under the age of fifteen would have known exactly the sexual positions that he and Belle engaged in, and would have had a graphic and detailed image of them doing it for hours. Yes, I can totally see where the parents are coming from. Oh god! I shouldn't have said that word! You know which one I mean - how could you not?? The sexual context is so OBVIOUS!! I've soiled all your innocent minds! NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!