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Prime Minister John Key - Source: Reuters -
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Prime Minister John Key has been dragged into the centre of the resurgent smacking debate.
As the controversy around the citizens-initiated referendum mounted, one of the organisations backing it has called for a meeting with Key and said it could produce evidence that parents were being needlessly prosecuted under the 2007 law change.
It removed the defence of reasonable force from the Crimes Act, effectively banning smacking as a means of correction while giving police discretion over prosecutions.
Arguments have raged ever since and opponents managed to get enough signatures on a petition to force the referendum to be held.
It will ask the question: "Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?"
In Parliament on Wednesday Key said he saw no need to change the law.
"In my view the current law is working. I've given New Zealand parents a commitment that if the law didn't work I would change it. I stand by that commitment but I've seen no evidence to date that the law is not working," he said.
Family First, a strong opponent of the law, said it had the evidence.
"We have a number of cases that have been made available to us of parents being prosecuted under the new law," said Family First national director Bob McCoskrie.
"These have been independently examined by a senior police officer who believes that they show the law is not working."
McCoskrie said he was writing to Key asking for a meeting so he could deliver his evidence.
The referendum will be held by postal ballot between July 31 and August 21.
It will cost $9 million to run, and that has become part of the row over it.
Some MPs have said it is a waste of money, and yesterday Federated Farmers spoke out against the referendum.
"Farmers look at the $9m and argue that reducing some of the country's debt or investing in agriculture is far better than an expensive catharsis," said the federation's president Don Nicolson.
The wording of the question has also become an issue, with Key saying it is ambiguous and Labour leader Phil Goff describing it as "absolutely wrong".
Goff says he won't be voting because of that, and the Green Party is putting up a member's bill to change the referendum law in a way that prevents confusing questions being put to voters.
The Act Party is drafting its own bill to change the law so that
parents would be allowed to lightly smack their children without
risking prosecution.
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Add a Comment:
Post new commentNoddy samurai said on 2009-12-07 @ 17:42 NZDT: Report abusive post
87% of those who voted said NO!! to the question: "Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand ... John Key what part of NO!! do you not understand ... This will not help you for your next ELECTION
ictcons said on 2009-07-25 @ 00:07 NZDT: Report abusive post
So Sue Bradford thinks the cost of the referendum is a waste of money. No, Sue. A waste of money is a government that continually operates against the will of the majority. We all knew that 70-80% of the people were against then bill before it was passed. Now we have to pay to be heard. When the government starts listening to and doing the wil of the people, then money will stop being wasted! For now, send the $9M bill to Sue.
joeyblogs said on 2009-06-18 @ 23:20 NZDT: Report abusive post
9 million well spent. 'The cost of democracy'. No one likes child abuse but criminals act regardless of the law. And all of you who say theres other ways, you tell me how to control a toddler that can hardly talk that does something dangerous like run out in front of a car. They're not gonna understand you talking to them. All of our generation were smacked and are fine. These trendy leftys need to get a life!!
ronda said on 2009-06-18 @ 18:43 NZDT: Report abusive post
Get a life and quit hitting on the little ones. They are the best thing we ever do and do you go around whacking your boss every time he has a tantrum? No. So don't do it to those that can't defend themselves. Plus it really hurts. :(
Saner said on 2009-06-18 @ 16:07 NZDT: Report abusive post
And the court cases and police investigation on parents being "wrongfully" accused, is a continual expense to the tax payers and will cost us far more going forward. That is just wasting money.