Page "Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom" Paragraph 12

It was banned in Australia in 1976, then made briefly legal in 1993, until its re-banning in 1998.

Salò was resubmitted for classification in Australia in 2008, only to be rejected once again.

The DVD print was apparently a modified version, causing outrage in the media over censorship and freedom of speech.

In 2010, the film was submitted again, and passed once again with an R 18 + rating.

According to the Australian Classification Board media release, the DVD was passed due to " the inclusion of 176 minutes of additional material which provided a context to the feature film.

" However the media release also stated that " The Classification Board wishes to emphasise that this film is classified R 18 + based on the fact that it contains additional material.

Screening this film in a cinema without the additional material would constitute a breach of classification laws.

" The majority opinion of the board stated that the inclusion of additional material on the DVD " facilitates wider consideration of the context of the film which results in the impact being no more than high.

" This decision came under attack by Family Voice Australia ( formerly the Festival of Light Australia ), the Australian Christian Lobby and Liberal Party of Australia Senator Julian McGauran, who tried to have the lifted ban overturned, but the Board refused, stating " The film has aged plus there is bonus material that clearly shows it is fiction.

" The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 8, 2010.