South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson says the upcoming state election will see a “real contest” in his seat of Croydon. Atkinson has also taunted Gamers 4 Croydon – the pro R18+ party challenging him – by predicting they will engage in “criminal activities and dirty tricks” during the campaign.
Speaking to Gamespot, Atkinson took several pot shots at Gamers 4 Croydon and party founder David Doe, pointing out that the party has yet to name a candidate 60 days out from the election and that “their website is full of memorabilia but not much else.”
He then fell ever-so-slightly short of accusing gamers of being criminals.
“I assume the Gamers4Croydon campaign will involve criminal activities and dirty tricks, which is what I’ve come to expect from gamers,” Atkinson said.
“But that’s not to say I’m not treating this seriously; I’m out there working on the basis that this is a real contest.”
Doe told Gamespot he wasn’t surprised by Atkinson’s remarks.
“It’s a completely ridiculous statement. This is a serious issue and we’re running a serious campaign. We don’t need to use dirty tricks.”
Read more of the verbal stoush at the link below.
Atkinson slams Gamers 4 Croydon [Gamespot]
i R SPaCe CaT
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 2:35 PMI work a 40 hour week and I pay my taxes but because im a gamer im branded a criminal?
Mr Atkinson what you have just said is slander, you clearly have no respect for the fellow australian.
lecks
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 2:36 PMlol, cause politicians never use ‘dirty tricks’
Trent Watherston
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 2:47 PMMr Atkinson isn’t exactly taking the higher moral ground here by making such offensive statements.
The unfortunate part is that i think he knows those comments will have a hard time finding their way into the common media with the larger voting populace, and that’s a very disappointing notion.
Mr Atkinson’s position has become increasingly spiteful with the intent of defaming the Gamers4Crodyn Party and it’s appalling that he’s resulting to such methods to maintain his position in South Australia.
That’s politics for you.
L4tars
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 2:55 PMYou South Australians better wake the hell up and vote him out.
WiseHacker
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 3:04 PMEasy now, LAtars. Those statements of Atkinson are his own. They by no means reflect the state of the SA state as a whole.
Luke
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 4:18 PMWe cant. The only people who can vote out Mr Atkinson are either the people who vote for the liberals (who as a South Australian can say that is i absolutely refuse to vote liberal because they end up fucking this state up and leave it for the next party to get elected to fix it.) The only people who can vote for G4C are the people who live in the Croydon electoral area.
Both Mr Doe and Mr Wildgoose (if he is the actual candidate) have got alot of work ahead of them to sway the croydon voter for them considering that Mr Atkinson has held that seat since 1989.
Good job and good luck for this years state election.
Viva la gaming revolution.
Chris Prior
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 5:56 PMDavid was just saying ‘stay tuned’ because he knows he’s getting more info from us soon.
Chris Prior
Gamers4Croydon
I game, I vote.
Luke
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 8:48 PMYeah… I know that now. I should stop being so gullible.
Weresmurf
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 3:30 PMI could be wrong but wasn’t our ‘Honourable’ Mr Atkinson the one actually under investigation for land rorting issues or something in SA?
Patrick Lum
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 3:31 PMIf he had said that about any other party he’d be out on his arse.
Broken code.
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 3:34 PMWhen he says ‘serious competition’, I’m guessing that he’s talking about Liberal, democratic, greens and other more established parties.
This has probably been asked before, but assuming on the off chance that is does lose his seat, would he also lose his position as attorney general?
Coz if he doesn’t (and I’m gonna look like an ass for saying this), I really hope the Rann government doesn’t lose office based soley on Atkinson’s antics. Coz while I dislike Atkinson(who clearly dislikes us for our hobby and beliefs), I respect Mike Rann and what he’s done for our state.
Simon Hutchinson
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 5:07 PMYou have to be a member of Parliament to be the Attorney General.
If the Labor party wanted to be total dicks if he loses his seat, tehy can install him in another seat and that candidate who won steps aside.
Unlikely as that causes political faction walls (have a look at the disgrace known as NSW politics to see what happens then)
Mike Rann could also replace Atkinson as AG anytime. He builds the party and caucus, he just thinks Atko is doing a good job. The heat around him with the land grab and bikies is massive though and we just may see a cabinet reshuffle should they win etc.
Still, atko would ensure the new AG is against R18…
Chris Prior
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 6:01 PMWhile Mike Rann could technically choose a new AG, he would only do so under significant pressure. The Right faction of the Labor party is incredibly strong, and Atkinson basically owns that faction.
We just have to get Labor to the point where Atkinson’s personal influence is less important than the influence they lose for having him as AG.
He’s helping us with that last bit.
Chris Prior
Gamers4Croydon
I game, I vote.
Dean
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 3:39 PMI think the problem here is that – let’s be honest – G4C don’t really have all that much chance of being elected.
So he can come along and say, “yeah, this is going to be a real fight, blah blah blah” then when G4C don’t get elected, he’ll be able to say, “see? the people have spoken! I was right!”
G4C really have their work cut out for them if they want this to be a real issue…
Chris Prior
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 6:04 PMGranted, getting a G4C member elected as Member for Croydon will be very hard. We’re also running a candidate in the upper house, which is a much easier proposition.
The only real way he would be able to get away with ‘the people have spoken’ is if there isn’t a swing against him. If he loses votes relative to the last election, he’ll be on very shaky ground. And it is almost certain there will be a swing against him.
Chris Prior
Gamers4Croydon
I game, I vote
spiz
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 3:54 PMhe obviously doesn’t see g4c as a big threat, and to be honest, i think hes right.
they might have the votes of gamers, but to the everyday person who doesn’t care about an R rating voting for a party with really only one interest and no experience isnt exactly the best thing to do.
atkinson realises this, at the moment hes probably hasnt lost many votes. as gamers wouldnt have voted for him before. g4c needs to focus on other things that will appeal to a larger audience.
Chris Prior
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 6:05 PMI would encourage you to look at some our other policies.
Chris Prior
Gamers4Croydon
I game, I vote
KnT
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 4:30 PMHere’s a direct quote from a little document known as the Australian Human Rights Act (1986) which is the current Act for Human Rights here in Aus:
“PART I
Article 1
1. All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right
they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic,
social and cultural development.”
Would you agree that gaming is a form of social development? I’m no politician or lawyer, but wouldnt that mean that Mr Atkinson is in direct violation of our human rights as Australian citizens?
Simon Hutchinson
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 5:09 PMAs a side to this, not R18 related, the United Nations has been in touch with Conroy and Canberra over the internet filter being mandatory and the human rights abuse that is.
Kid you not, search google, you will find the news stories hidden behind the CONROY IS AWESOME news storeis of the bullshit media
SCU
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 4:48 PMhttp://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/gtp/wnmcomphome.html
I think we’re pitching from the wrong angle. He’s stereotyping ‘gamers’ as dirty criminals, however due to the fact that the ‘gaming’ community, both casual and hardcore have only just started to peak.
In 2008, 35% of households had a gaming console and 75% had a computer. If you factor in 2009 and our new year, the figures will be quite startling. 2,282,000 consoles alone were bought in 2009. An over all total of consoles are 8,750,000 making it a 35% increase since 2008*.
We add on the 5th from last year to the console percentage to make a total of 50%**.
He may be facing the majority of the public in the next election. Fingers crossed.
It is in the best interest of both parents and adults. Please make this known too all.
-Gentleman, Chris
*Not including the old Xbox, gamecube, ps1, 64, etc.
**Barely rounded at all. Out by about 2000
SCU
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 4:53 PMNow, I also forgot a pretty large factor into this debate. PC’s. The pinnacle of gaming. Mr.Rudd has been rebating laptops and PC’s nation wide. I’ve checked out the specs and on the rate their at, we might be having larger lans for the higher tier laptops.
-Cheers, Chris
SCU
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 6:25 PMTo all out there, please. Send letters to the editors, put up posters ANYTHING. no matter what state. We must be herd
doubleDizz
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 5:37 PMFor all his previous hard work in politics, I really hope it’s these kind of comments that Michael Atkinson gets remembered for. He derserves it.
What a legacy that would be.
Michael
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 5:37 PMSeeing as this was a comment to Gamespot, I’m assuming it won’t get any mention in the ‘real’ media. I urge anyone in South Australia, if you have any way of getting a story about this into a major newspaper, do it.
If the general South Australian/Croydon voting population see comments like this, they might just realise how far from the real issues Mr Atkinson has slipped.
SCU
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 6:39 PMWhat are you talking about? We all can equaly. Letter to the editor, requests and ‘Have your say’ are all available to anyone, anywhere. I’ve sent a letter to the editor to all major newspapers all over AUS and News sites. I’ve also sent one in to (shiver) Today Tonight (shiver)
Aliasalpha
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 9:45 PMToday Tonight? Damn what a sacrifice to make on behalf of all of us, you deserve a medal or at least some sort of awesome biscuit!
Shame they’d be just as likey to paint you as the single moderate amidst the frothing murderous masses waiting for the trigger to commit genocide and perform shonky building work whilst dole bludging
SCU
Friday, January 22, 2010 at 7:24 PMNot too mention how many of us are ice addicted grandma’s from hell who are only out to take money for mthe average tax payer by having longer smokos without first donating to charities…
Matthew McCay
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 7:54 PMSlander? Whos resorting to back handed techniques now?
Terry Voss
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 8:09 PMA politician just accused someone of acting immorally. shock!
Sarah
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 10:51 PMThe best bit is that his claim that G4C don’t have a candidate is FALSE and if he’d bothered to contact them he’d know that. They do indeed have a candidate, who to be announced any day. I know, because she is a personal friend of mine.
That’s right – she.
With all his ridiculous stereotypes of gamers as misogynistic teenage boys, I bet he won’t be expecting that!
Joshy206
Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 10:58 PMAtkinson, is truly ignorant and a bigot. Not even a mindless, media-watching one who believes all Muslims or Arabs (there’s a difference) are terrorists. He’s concocted his own belief with no basis that playing Super Mario Brothers turns people into womanising serial killers.
Atkinson, you’ll never read this, but you just showed your true colours today. This blatant insult to me, my friends and my family is disgusting. I hope you’re proud of yourself.
Broken code.
Friday, January 22, 2010 at 12:19 AMI wouldn’t bet money on that. Remember that he issued a challenge to the readers of this very site. I’m convinced that Atkinson is aware of what we’re saying on here and other sites.
Funky J
Friday, January 22, 2010 at 12:18 AMI wonder, Mr Atkinson, what sort of dirty tricks and criminal activity you thing gamers would do?
Would they resort to slander and defamation like you have?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/08/2298126.htm
http://netk.net.au/Media/2005-11-30-EdithPringle.asp
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/10/13/2712708.htm
Would they resort to threats like you have?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/04/2761600.htm?site=adelaide
Would they refuse Freedom of Information requests to hide you dealings with entrepreneurs like you have?
http://www.independentweekly.com.au/news/local/news/general/the-premier-the-newspaper-boss-and-the-secret-deal/420807.aspx?storypage=2
Would they resort to making unlawful laws like you have?
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2009/s2699716.htm
Two can play at this game, Mr Atkinson.
Andrew Creek
Friday, January 22, 2010 at 10:02 AMIf the through state political wranglings he is forced by is own party and federal government to adopt an R Rating he would employ this same trick.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/industry-alarm-at-r-rated-cover-up/story-e6frg6nf-1225819431495
Andrew Creek
Friday, January 22, 2010 at 10:10 AMAnd he accuses gamers of dirty tricks ?? When this legislation went under the radar from most who are involved in the Film industry till it was enacted ?
Sorry but I am too busy trying to run a sweet lap of the Nordschleife in the safety and comfort of my own home, in between caring for my disabled wife and 3 primary school age kids, to be involved with crimimal activities and dirty tricks.
Broken code.
Friday, January 22, 2010 at 10:55 AMYou see what he’s working on? So we want games rated equally to everything else. ‘Fine’, Atkinson says. ‘We’ll rate everything else the same way we rate games. There’s your equality, now stop your complaining’.
Luckily he can’t try this anywhere else, but within his state(the one I live in), it seems he can make us suffer as much as he pleases.
Dean
Friday, January 22, 2010 at 11:51 AMHe says he ‘assumes’ gamers will resort to criminal acts, like he ‘assumes’ all death threats are from gamers so he will fight harder on this issue, how about you may have insulted some people with the st clair landswap deal or the 200 grand you cost SA with your big mouth in a defimation case, I still don’t get why it was taxpayers money that had to pay out instead of your own.
Now he is attacking well established mediums like movies in his state by having R rated films packaging replaced with blank boxes only having the title of the film on it and fines for advertising R+ films. It shows he is not listening to anyone but just doing what he believes in, what he wants, not acting like an elected official on behalf of the public, the fact he kept the new dvd laws a seceret until they came into law displays he is aware the public would not want this.
Everytime some petty insulting or threatening stuff is said about him many gamers tell them it will not help our cause and not to do such things, many gamers do show respect, but if Atkinson wants respect you have to be respectful and not insult people on purpose and make obscene stantements be calling all gamers which is a huge percentage of the population criminals and openly lying about the content by suggesting sexual violence will be in R rated games! Such behaviour is not fit for any workplace or public position, to make it on a federal level of politics wearing the ALP badge, you should be ashamed Michael Atkinson, as a member of Labor party you make me sick with such right wing views.
He is throwing petrol onto the fire in this case so he shouldn’t complain if he recieves a little backlash from this.
David doe is a class act and will not even resort to smear tactics, so I don’t see him doing anything illegal anytime soon, and if something happened like a rock through Atkinson’s office window I bet Atkinson would outright blame gamers4croydon like it’s fact they did it and not just some random pissed off guy.
It’s the fact he will not even humour people or entertain the idea of listen that garners such reaction and frustration from gamers coupled together with a 1950′s parental tone of ‘I know what’s best for you even though you’re 30′ and insulting them will only make this worse. I am shocked to see a man in such a high position act so petty ,now, and in the kotaku letter where he went through all the users and addressed them one by one, he should just say no comment and keep some of his dignity because public comment pages on any matter get uncivil so don’t take it so personally which you shouldn’t be to begin with. To allow comment pages on the interenet with a small group of people insulting him (there are many who dont and try to be civil and reasonable) to effect judgment on a federal level of law is just unthinkable.
He has already made it clear the discussion paper is just a waste of our time, he is already ignoring the public again before its finished speaking. When a member of a party is acting this hostile toward the public pressure from within his own party (my party, shamed to say at this point) should be applied but I don’t see that happening either.
As for his views on the discussion paper MSN released a misleading poll asking ‘should adult only games be made?’ implying that they don’t already and this was just to the general public, thousands upon thousands of people voted and it got a 60/40 result in favour of the R rating with the misleading wording, but he will take no notice of that or just wave it away. It’s like the magic 8 ball, he asks the public a question and the answer floats up and instead of reading it because it’s not the answer he wants he just keeps shaking the 8 ball until he gets the answer he wants. How many times do you need the public’s view on this displayed before you accept people want this, and the election results do not reflect the publics view unless Michael atkinson makes it a mojor part of his compain, advertises the issue and raises awareness before claiming a direct connection. If you retain your seat the public has not spoken on the matter, that’s what the public discussion paper is for!
This matter will only be resovled once he is removed because he is only going ramp up censorship on games and movies, perhaps books if he wins, because a man like this is akin to John Howard and workchoices, they see an election win as the public saying ‘do whatever you want’, no, you are elected to represent, it’s not a green light. I hope you read these comments Mr Atkinson, because such comments are so stupid they could be seen as a joke. You have officially stepped over the line of dignity both for the party and yourself and and have bought into displaying petty anger I can’t remember an elected offical do on this scale. He has simply been in for too long and out of touch, this matter can only be finished with him being voted out or retiring, which would be good for croydon anyhow seeing as he is aggresive to his voters on other more domestic matters anyway, it’s time for you to go, out of your seat and out of the labor party, go join family first.
Sabmac
Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 2:58 AMIt’s not as if Atkinson has been implicated in 3 seperate corruption scandals. Not at all. Slippery bastard.