Below you will find the official statement from EA regarding the Refused Classification (RC) decision of Syndicate in Australia:

“It’s regrettable that government policy in Australia is denying adults the right to play Syndicate.  The game will be not be available in Australia despite its enthusiastic response from fans. We were encouraged by the government’s recent agreement to adopt an 18+ age rating for games. However, delays continue to force an arcane censorship on games – cuts that would never be imposed on books or movies. We urge policy makers to take swift action to implement an updated policy that reflects today’s market and gives its millions of adult consumers the right to make their own content choices.”

To break this down, in short:

• EA are not releasing Syndicate in Australia. The reason for this is because we don’t have an R18+ in place as yet.
• EA will not be appealing the RC decision. Syndicate is a game made for a mature audience and any changes would significantly affect the game’s quality and appeal.
• Syndicate will continue to be released in New Zealand (unchanged) on the 24th February 2012, and has a confirmed rating of R18

Sucks, New Zealand gets it and we dont.