END PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT OF AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN
We are working together across Australia to support children and families by updating laws relating to physical punishment. We are joined by parents, grandparents, researchers, politicians, children's commissioners, health professionals, teachers and many others - all joining together to give children the same protection from physical harm as we have as adults.
"When a big child hits a small child in the playground, we call him a bully; five years later he punches a woman for her handbag and is called a mugger; later still, when he slugs a workmate who insults him, he is called a troublemaker; but when he becomes a father and hits his tiresome, disobedient or disrespectful child, we call him a disciplinarian."
Quote from Dr Penelope Leach’s book Children First.
OUR THREE ASKS
1. Update our laws to give children the same protections as adults from violence
Australia's outdated laws still include an illogical legal defence that makes it legal to hurt a child as a form of corporal punishment. Removing this defence would bring our laws in line with what we know about child brain development, and sends a clear message that violence is never ok. It will bring us in line with what other countries are doing, and will make our laws more consistent (it is illegal to hit an adult in Australia, so it is unfair that children can still be hit). This change does not create a new offence (i.e. it simply removes a defence), and will not lead to additional legal action.
2. Support parents
Parenting is a skill. We can all learn ways to improve the relationships in our lives, including with our children. We aim to better support parents by making sure that all Australians have fair and equal access to reliable parenting information. We can also better support parents by advocating for policies and programs that reduce toxic stress on families - for instance relating to financial, housing, work, health, domestic violence - so that they have space to nurture important relationships with their children.
3. Promote understanding of child brain development
We know that what happens to us in childhood – both positive and negative – shapes how our brains grow, and our future health and wellbeing. When parents, carers and policy makers understand early brain development it becomes easier to see what children need to thrive - and how corporal punishment hurts children, families and communities. Violence in the home is a form of toxic stress that can derail the healthy development of children and the valuable bonds they have with caregivers. The video How Brains Are Built: The Core Story of Brain Development is a good starting point to help understand healthy brain development.
WHY OUR ASKS ARE A
'NO-BRAINER'
Protecting children from toxic stress is important for brain development (which means healthier communities for all of us now and into the future).
This will make our laws fair for children (children are the only people who are not legally protected from being hit in Australia!).
Updating our laws will bring Australia in line with other countries. (65 countries have already done this... and are seeing benefits for everyone).
This will bring our laws in line with the attitudes of younger generations. (Only 14.8% of 16-24- year-olds believe that corporal punishment is necessary).
This will bring our laws in line with existing legislation that already bans all forms of corporal punishment of children in most education settings and institutions.
Providing parents with healthier ways to parent, is good for parent stress levels and health.
We owe it to all Australians to send a clear message that violence is never ok. This will have positive flow on effects for other social challenges such as domestic violence. We know that condoning violence is a driver of domestic and family violence.
We owe it to parents to provide consistent messages about how best to navigate parenting. By bringing our laws in line with the evidence, we can open up pathways to better support parents.
Children need to feel loved and valued. Unfortunately we haven’t always given families the best advice about how to do this. We are working together to make sure we are supporting parents with more up to date advice.
When we build a shared understanding of child brain development - with decision makers, educators, community members, families and experts - we can we can build healthier brains and bodies, and improve learning, wellbeing and resilience for every child, in every community.
Australia leads the world in child-related population studies including the Australian Child Maltreatment Study and the Australian Early Development Census, so it doesn't make sense for us to fall behind on our responses to legislative change.