Video Information


Below: A January, 2013 segment from Seven's Today Tonight, dealing with the aftermath of the rescue of a child locked in a car in Sydney .




Below: A 2009 segment from an American ABC news discussion on so-called "over-protective" parents. This segment includes an interview with author Lenore Skenazy, whose book Free range kids outlined Skenazy's controversial approach to child rearing.




Below: A 2013 segment from Channel Seven's Sunrise program, dealing with the public reaction to a New Zealand woman's leaving of a "don't-panic" note in a locked car with her baby.




Below: A May 2010 segment from an American Web-TV program, looking at how over-protection can harm a child's development.






Web links, documents


On August 11, 2014, The Age supplement Essential Kids published an article titled '
Teenagers under 16 too young to be home alone'
The report detailed the results of a study that suggested young teens were anxious and unhappy when left at home unattended.
The full text of the article can be accessed at http://www.essentialkids.com.au/family-life/family-home/teenagers-under-16-too-young-to-be-home-alone-20140811-3dhd1.html

On August 9, 2014, The Herald Sun published an opinion piece by James Campbell titled 'Just butt out, most parents know what they're doing'
Campbell is opposed to the harsher penalties proposed in Victoria for parents who leave their children unattended.
The full text of this comment can be accessed at http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/just-butt-out-most-parents-know-what-theyre-doing/story-fni0fh8t-1227019042085

On August 6, 2014, the Victorian government announced that it would be doubling the penalties for leaving children unattended.
The media release was issued by the Premier's Department and can be accessed at http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/10619-double-the-jail-time-for-leaving-children-in-cars.html

On August 6, 2014, the ABC published a news report titled 'Prison terms doubled for parents leaving kids in cars in Victoria'
The full text can be accessed at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-06/prison-terms-doubled-for-parent-leaving-kids-in-cars/5650970

On August 6, 2014, The Herald Sun published a news report titled 'Victorian Coalition boosts penalties for parents who leave children locked in cars'
The full text of the report can be found at http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victorian-coalition-boosts-penalties-for-parents-who-leave-children-locked-in-cars/story-e6frf7jo-1227014410796

On July 25, 2014, The Age supplement Essential Baby published a report titled '"Forgotten baby syndrome" mum found not guilty of daughter's manslaughter' which detailed the case of a Bendigo mother recently found not guilty of the manslaughter of her baby daughter who was forgotten in a car outside the family home.
The full text of this report can be found at http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/baby/caring-for-baby/forgotten-baby-syndrome-mum-found-not-guilty-of-daughters-manslaughter-20140725-3cizy.html

On June 20, 2014, NBC issued a background piece examining the inconsistencies across different state jurisdictions in the United States in the charges issued against parents whose unattended children have died in cars.
The full text of this report can be accessed at http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/hot-cars-and-kids/cases-kids-who-die-hot-cars-shows-inconsistency-charges-n135861

On April 22, 2014, The Raising Children Network published 'No legal age for leaving children home alone' which looks at the uncertainty over when it is allowable to leave children at home without supervision.
The full text can be found at http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/leaving_children_home_alone.html

On January 19, 2014, the ABC published a news report titled 'Victoria considers tougher punishments for parents who leave children in cars'.
The full text of this report can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-19/vic-considers-tougher-punishments-for-leaving-children-in-cars/5207054

On January 15, 2014, the ABC published a news report titled 'Like putting a gun to your child's head: Paramedics shocked by the number of children locked in hot cars'
The full text of the report can be accessed at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-15/11-children-left-locked-in-cars-during-victorias-extreme-heat/5200744

On January 29, 2013, Lenore Skenazy posted a comment on her website Free-Range Kids titled 'Stop Criminalizing Parents who Let Their Kids Wait in the Car'
The full text of this comment can be found at http://www.freerangekids.com/stop-criminalizing-parents-who-let-their-kids-wait-in-the-car/

On January 1, 2012, the Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development, Wendy Lovell, issued a media release titled 'Minister issues warning on leaving children in hot cars'
The full text of this release can be accessed at http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/2875-minister-issues-warning-on-leaving-children-in-hot-cars.html

On August 13, 2011, The Courier Mail published a news report titled 'Parents warned against leaving children at home unattended after mother charged'
The full text of this report can be accessed at http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/parents-warned-against-leaving-children-at-home-unattended-after-mother-charged/story-e6freoof-1226114105997

On July 26, 2010, Health Day published the results of a study which found an apparent link between being left unattended as children and a later increased incidence of adolescence violence.
The full text of the report can be accessed at http://consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/child-development-news-124/increased-risk-of-violence-among-unsupervised-teen-groups-641531.html

On March 8, 2009, The Washington Post published an investigative report by Gene Weingarten titled 'Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a Child in the Backseat of a Car Is a Horrifying Mistake. Is It a Crime?'
This remarkable report examines the circumstances surrounding the deaths of a number of children in the United States who were left unattended in cars. Ultimately it argues that these parents' actions do not constitute a crime and makes a number of recommendations as to what can be done to reduce the incidence of these tragic deaths.
The report earned Weingarten the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism. The full text of the report can be accessed at http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/fatal-distraction-forgetting-a-child-in-thebackseat-of-a-car-is-a-horrifying-mistake-is-it-a-crime/2014/06/16/8ae0fe3a-f580-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html

An overview of Australian provisions regarding 'Family Violence, Child Protection and the Criminal Law' can be accessed at http://www.alrc.gov.au/publications/20.%20Family%20Violence,%20Child%20Protection%20and%20the%20Criminal%20Law/criminal-offences-relating-c