Call to veto anti-smacking law

Well done Family First. My heart goes out to the Christchurch Father Jimmy Mason who was convicted for flicking his son's ear in public. Some female witness went running to the feminist agenda police with lies and that was that. He was convicted in the corrupt court system. Fathers are doomed in kiwiland. Jimmy Mason is a decent bloke and a real good dad. FACT.


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Lobby group Family First has placed ads in Sunday newspapers calling for the reinstatement of reasonable force as a defence in child abuse cases.

The group says the law change isn't working and Prime Minister John Key should change it.

In 2007, Parliament passed the so-called anti-smacking legislation removing the defence. Supporters highlighted cases where parents used the defence to escape punishment for beating their children with whips and pieces of wood.

Opponents said it would make criminals out of parents who lightly smacked their children and removed their right to discipline them.

The law passed by 113 votes to eight, backed by National under a compromise where a proviso was inserted that the police had discretion not to prosecute complaints against a parent if they considered the offence to be inconsequential.

Family First national director Bob McCoskrie said Mr Key had promised to look at the legislation if it was impacting on good parents.

In the ad, framed as an open letter, the group says families had been prosecuted and children removed by Child, Youth and Family under the law change.

Cases included a parent who smacked a child once on the leg being prosecuted, parents who were interviewed for five hours by police and children removed by CYF for two nights when they admitted to a social service agency that they smacked their children.

Mr McCoskrie said use of the law was traumatic for families.

The group supports ACT MP John Boscawen's member's bill to allow parents to use a light smack to correct their children. They also want a royal commission to look at causes of child abuse.

In its six-monthly review of the Crimes Amendment Act which showed the impact of the law, police said it had remained minimal.

When the amendment came into effect in June 2007, police undertook to monitor its effect for two years.

Mr Key has previously said the law appeared to be working well.