If you haven't heard already, the Federal Government has just offered funding for a computer game called Escape from Woomera.

As there is very little information available on the game, and the developers are keeping to themselves at the moment, there's little to say about how the game plays. It's fair to say however that you will play a detained immigrant who's trying to escape from Australia's now infamous detention centre.

Whether you think this game is in poor taste isn't the real issue here. There are plenty of games out there that could be considered far worse - Postal, Carmageddon and the GTA series are fine examples. The real controversy comes from the $25,000 grant that the federal arts funding body, the Australia Council for the Arts has offered to the developers.

Now that's controversy!

One arm of the Government is trying it's best to justify that the detention centres are perfectly legal and adequate facilities for detaining illegal immigrants while the other arm is funnelling money into projects that attempt to undermine it.

But it's more important that each department does it job and this in instance, the Council has rightly said this game should get the grant. To not allow a grant because of its controversial political theme would imply a special restriction on artistic freedoms. And the Government REALLY doesn't want that.

Naturally, Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock isn't pleased, although his argument is ridiculously absurd. According to the Sydney Morning Herald this morning, he was quoted as saying: "The decision reflects poorly upon the Australia Council and its judgement, that the organisation should lend its name to the promotion of unlawful behaviour."

Nice one, Phil. Juding by how many high class games involve 'unlawful behaviour' I doubt whether the Council would be funding many games based on this logic. But that's another discussion altogether.

What do you think? Should the Government provide a unified front with its policies, or should the distinction between arts funding and current policy be paramount? Email me at dkidd@pcauthority.com.au.