VICTORIAN Premier Steve Bracks last weekend overturned a decision by the state’s Justice Department which would have prevented the movie The Exorcist from being shown on Good Friday.
The Premier said the ban was inconsistent because permits were not refused for other R-rated films such as Hannibal.
“If you look at what else is happening in Victoria there are all sorts of inconsistencies in other films and other events going on and it seems inconsistent just to pick out one sector, the theatres,” he said.
The Exorcist was banned from being screened on Good Friday under a regulation that requires cinemas to apply for permission to show R-rated movies on Good Friday and Christmas Day.
The row over the film has sparked questions about other activities that are allowed on the day.
Director of the Australian Catholic Film Office, Jesuit Father Richard Leonard of Melbourne, said the original ban was “with the very best of intentions”, but questioned other films and leisure activities allowed on Good Friday.
