Patmalar Ambikapathy views demonstrate clearly why we have such violence in our communities today. More child abuse happens by allowing parents to bring up undisciplined kids than any other reason. Isn't it amazing how many kids today are now drugged to the eyeballs having been diagnosed with ADHD. The 'right' to smack children is simply a commonsense issue. Ask the majority of Policeman and they will tell you that most the cretins they have to deal with on the street are fatherless kids who have never had a decent spanking in their lives but show no respect for anyone else. The results of non smackers is far greater violence in our communities. Blurring the lines between smacking and abuse/violence is deceitful and destructive. No doubt we will have the elite academia pulling out some Government funded study saying otherwise.

I would consider bashing children as the problem not the smacking of children. Enough laws exist giving power to extract abused children from dangerous environments; the problem is the lack of reliable infrastructure (e.g.DOCS) to be trusted with the task.

As usual I predict, Australian democracy will be ruled by the cult of the lobby group and “Quid pro quo” of Politics not the necessities of the people for which Government was truly formed; away off into the ever-growing black void of our Democratic furure.

The fact is that since the dawn of time, parents have spanked their kids... And only for the last 30 years has this been frowned down upon. Yes, a world free of violence is a "good intention", but it is a historical exception.

In the 1950's it was thought that a perfect diet could be constructed by 'modern' pills and highly refined foods. They were wrong. We need a diet that is rich in fresh vegetables and etc, not refined additives.

The further we get to our biological history, the worse the outcomes for people... even if the "good intention" sounds really good and clever to our contempory values. Our values change, our biology doesn't.

Smacking saves lives. Think about swimming pools, busy roads and electricity powerpoints... all very tempting for a toddler and the only way to ensre their safety is a couple of well-considered smacks.

More scientifically, smacking has been shown to instill 'impulse control' in children... a lack of control is the bane of teachers lives... Smacking would improve children's development... within reason.

It's the do-gooder academic social engineers who need smacking hard & also many parents.
Yes kids play up, when they should expect a smack. Do-gooders butt out, you're not contributing to damage you cause.

The right to smack garbage, people have the right to discipline and be supported by society in how they raise their children. I think it is about time academics and other people get things straight. No one likes to abuse a child no one, there are some who do and these people will never ever listen to what others suggest or what the law may stand at. Regular people smack their children they do not abuse them. Then there is abusive parents who for various reasons will abuse and hurt a child. These people need to loose all rights to their child as the cost to society later on is a high cost on society in the way of mental health, counseling, criminality, alcoholism. It is various depending on the situation. Education is one of the most important things in our society with how to raise and be supportive of parents and children. We as citizens in society need to re-look at the systems that we have in place, that mum and dad both work and are not supported. It takes a village to raise a child.

I was raised with a wooden spoon prior to ten years of age by a mother who could not deal with my hyperactivity [to date still hyper unless reading a book or writing].

I vowed never to smack my children yet on one occasion for each it was necessary using my hand [in order that I would feel the pain at the same time as both of them].

At 4 yrs and 7yrs both children had decided to jump on the double bed continuously [risking their necks]despite sending them to their rooms and loss of priviledges that had worked well for years.

3 stinging smacks on the legs [my hand hurt]and both never risked breaking their necks by jumping on beds again.

However, it hurt me for my children to recall this incident 20 yrs later, in the same way I recall being chased around the front and back yards by my mother with the wooden spoon.

Using the loss of priviledges approach, rewards given for positive and kind behaviour, using effective communication instilling morals and values in my children, and following up on the consequences of negative and dangerous behaviour exhibited by my children, has been highly successful and a wonderful positive alternative to using physical discipline and/or abuse.

There are positive successful options raising young children.