Michael Atkinson unexpectedly announced this morning that he will be stepping down from his Attorney-General position to retire to the South Australian back bench. The announcement was made at 10.45am this morning by Atkinson outside the church he attends.
The South Australian election is still on-going. There is currently a 7% swing towards the Liberals state-wide and a 12% swing against Michael Atkinson in Croydon. While it is highly likely Labour will remain in power and Atkinson will not lose his seat, this does indicate dissatisfaction from the electorate.
A new Attorney-General will need to be chosen for South Australia.
The impact of this on the R18+ rating for video games is significant. Michael Atkinson was the most vocal opponent. Not being in the Attorney-General position means he will no longer be able to veto an R18+ rating for video games. It is largely unknown what position the other Attorney-General's hold, while some have supported the change no others have been vocal in its opposition.
This move makes it even more important for the R18+ rating to be discussed at the next Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) on April 29th. At this point it is still unknown if it will be on the agenda.
