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Below:On January 29, 2012, the United Kingdom’s Channel 4 carried a report calling for the reintroduction of corporal punishment of children in the UK and claiming that violent social unrest can be linked to powerless parents.
Below: On August 8, 2011, Channel 10 News covered the possibility that as part of a review of the Victorian Human Rights Charter, the corporal punishment of children might be banned. The reports shows a spokesperson from the Presbyterian Church speaking against the proposal. . Below: On August 8, 2011, Channel 10 ran a vox pop giving the views of a number of Sydney residents on the smacking of children. These were followed by an interview with writer, Jane Caro. . Below: On August 4, 2011, Channel 10 News carried a report treating the results of a recent Canadian study which suggest that regularly physically punishing children can cause long-term psychological harm. Other points of view are also presented. Below: On April 1, 2010, Channel 10’s 7PM Project ran a segment dealing with a call from the United Nations that the corporal punishment of children be banned worldwide. The segment includes vox pop, a variety of expert opinions and a brief interview with child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg. |
 Web links, documents |
On August 12, 2011, Perth Now published an opinion piece by Suzie O'Brien titled, 'Smacking kids is no the solution as it doesn't help'. The opinion piece is a response to the Presbyterian Church in Victoria defending parents' right to use corporal punishment with their children. The full text of the opinion piece can be found at http://www.perthnow.com.au/smacking-kids-is-not-the-solution-it-just-creates-more-problems/story-fn6cmyjj-1226113946194
On August 30, 2011, The Daily Telegraph published an opinion piece by David Penberthy arguing for a return to parental control and consistency, without smacking. Penberthy's piece also makes reference to the London riot comments.
The full text of this comment titled, 'The discipline needed to not smack a child' can be found at http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/the-discipline-needed-to-not-smack-a-child/story-e6frezz0-1226124751626
On October 7, 2011, The Conversation published an opinion piece by Bronwyn Naylor, Director, Equity and Diversity at Monash University and Bernadette Saunders, Senior Lecturer, Social Work at Monash University. The authors give a clear overview of the current legal situation in Australia regarding the corporal punishment of children and then survey some of the most recent research findings suggesting the ineffectiveness of and harm caused by physical punishment.
The opinion piece supplies a number of valuable links.
The full text can be accessed at http://theconversation.edu.au/the-legality-of-the-slap-3683
On November 6, 2011, The Sunday Telegraph published an opinion piece by Miranda Devine in which she uses the success of the best-selling novel, The Slap, to discuss what she sees as the multiple failings of contemporary parenting.
The full text of the opinion piece can be found at http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/the-bestselling-book-the-slap-highlights-the-faultlines-of-modern-parenting/story-e6frezz0-1226186584301
On December 5, 2011, The Adelaide Advertiser published an analysis on smacking written by Trisha Helber. The full text of the analysis titled, 'Smacking...is it ever acceptable?' can be found at http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/smacking-is-it-ever-okay/story-fn6br97j-1226214082890
On December 9, 2011, The New Zealand Herald ran a report on an international study which had revealed the high levels of child abuse in the country. The report noted that this was the case despite the fact that New Zealand has banned smacking. The suggestion has been made that outlawing smacking has not reduced child abuse.
The full text of the report can be found at http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10772101
On December 9, 2011, The Guardian published David Matthews' review of David Lammy's 'Out of the Ashes'. Matthews endorses Lammy's diagnosis that the London riots were the consequence of 'a continual lack of education, ineffective parental guidance, poor role models, ill-discipline, unemployment and a host of social and developmental ills'.
The full text of the review can be found at http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/09/out-ashes-riots-david-lammy-review-matthews
On December 29, 2011, The Courier Mail published an opinion piece by Jane Fynes-Clinton titled, 'Parents' love leads to discipline'. The piece argues that banning smacking may drive the practice and discussion of it underground where it would be potentially more dangerous.
The full text of the opinion piece can be found at http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/parents-love-leads-to-discipline/story-e6frerdf-1226232112886
On January 25, 2012, Canberra's City News ran an opinion piece by Nick Jensen in which he considers the political implications of promoting a policy as unpopular as banning smacking. The editorial is titled 'The political pain a smacking ban can bring'.
The full text can be accessed at http://citynews.com.au/2012/uncategorized/the-political-pain-a-smacking-ban-can-bring/
On February 3, 2012, The Sunday Times published a report by Elissa Doherty on Dr Gervase Chaney's call for a ban on Australian parents smacking their children. The report was titled, 'Time to ban smacking children, doctors warn'
The full text of this report can be found at http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/time-to-ban-smacking/story-e6frg12c-1226261478261
On February 4, 2012, The Daily Telegraph ran an analysis by Neil Keene titled, 'Don't ban smack: Nation is slap happy'. The analysis looks at the range of responses to Dr Gervase Chaney's proposal.
The full text of the analysis can be found at http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/dont-ban-smacking-nation-is-slap-happy/story-e6freuzr-1226262294383
On February 7, 2012, The ABC's opinion site, The Drum, published a comment by Karen Flanagan titled, 'Protecting our children: positive discipline, not smacking'. The piece essentially defends Dr Gervase Chaney's call for a ban on smacking.
It is followed by 339 reader comments.
The full text of the opinion piece and the comments can be read at http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3815950.html
On February 16, 2012, The Adelaide Advertiser ran an editorial titled, 'Our kids need the right kind of authority'. The editorial argues for clear, assertive discipline, rather than inflexible, punitive authoritarianism. The full text of this editorial can be found at http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/editorial-our-kids-need-the-right-kind-of-authority/story-e6freabc-1226272208975
On February 18, 2012, The Canberra Times published an editorial titled, 'Time the law moved to stop parents smacking their kids'. The editorial argues in support of a recent bid to ban smacking within the ACT.
The full text of the editorial can be found at http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/time-the-law-moved-to-stop-parents-smacking-their-kids-20120217-1tdbr.html
On March 5, 2012, Scoop Independent News published a media release from Family First detailing the comments of Dr. Ben Carson, Director of Paediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, who was in Auckland to raise funds for the Starship Foundation to help rebuild their Neuroservices and Medical Specialty Wards.
Dr Carson criticised New Zealand's anti-smacking laws claiming that moderate physical punishment was appropriate for children too young to appreciate reason.
The full text of the release can be found at http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1203/S00043/world-leading-neurosurgeon-dismisses-anti-smacking-law.htm
