Families First Welcomes Government's Common Sense Approach

12 November 2001

Families First welcomes the announcement from the government that it will not be changing the law on the physical correction of children by their parents.

Speaking on behalf of the national parent advocacy group, Norman Wells said: "The government is absolutely right to resist pressure from the children's rights lobby which has been set on criminalising parents for smacking their children. The court hearings, care proceedings and case conferences which would inevitably follow any change in the law would be infinitely more damaging to a child than a disciplinary smack. The government has simply recognised that responsibility for the care, guidance and protection of children belongs primarily to parents, not to the state. It's a common sense approach."

Mr Wells expressed the hope that the government-sponsored 'positive parenting' project would acknowledge the place of reasonable physical correction in the context of a warm, caring parent-child relationship: "One of the damaging effects of the negative anti-smacking campaign is that it has characterised any form of physical correction as violent and abusive. It is time now to move on from that and to recognise that the use of appropriate physical correction is nothing to be ashamed of and, combined with a verbal explanation, is often the kindest and most merciful response to a child's disobedience."

Concern is expressed, however, that the National Family & Parenting Institute (NFPI), which will be undertaking the parenting project on behalf of the government, appears to be wedded to old, stereotypical views about physical correction. In its own response to the government's consultation document, the NFPI pressed for the removal of the defence of 'reasonable chastisement'. "There are very real fears that the NFPI could simply use the government money to undermine government policy," Mr Wells commented. "We hope that the NFPI will respect the diversity of families and not try to promote a one-size-fits-all approach to parental discipline."

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