Aussie researchers lead a charge to ban the smack

Physical violence is prohibited under the assault laws of Australia's states and territories.

But these laws provide an exemption for parents who strike their children within "reasonable limits".

However, smacking was "ineffective" in changing a child's behaviour, according to the Parenting and Family Research Alliance.

Punishment that involved physical violence decreased childrens' trust in their parents and increased the likelihood they'd hit others, it found.

The Parenting and Family Research Alliance (PAFRA) brought together leading Australian experts in child mental and physical health, child protection and parenting research.

The report's lead author Professor Sophie Havighurst said Australia needed to catch up to 65 countries that had updated its laws to protect children against violence in their homes.

"If it's illegal to hit your neighbour, their child or their dog, why is it legal to hit your child?

"Why don't children have the same right to protection from violence as adults?" Professor Havighurst said..

Professor Havighurst said parents should help their children grow as empathic adults who appreciated respect.

"Smacking acts as a model that those closest to you can hit you if they don't like what you do," she said.

"What does that mean for a child when they grow up?"

"That if you don't like your partner you can hit them when you don't like what they do?" she said.

Professor Havighurst said to break the cycle of domestic violence "we have to go to the heart of this and using physical force to discipline a child is where it all begins".

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Institute of Child Protection Studies director Professor Daryl Higgins said more than six in ten people aged 16 to 24 experienced corporal punishment four or more times during childhood in a 2023 child maltreatment study.

"We found this almost doubled their risk of anxiety and depression," he said.

Professor Higgins said smacking was seen by some parents in Australia as the only way to control children and teach respect.

The research found, aside from immediate compliance, there were no positive outcomes from smacking and many negatives.

"The research shows kids struggle to take on board the instructional learning a parent is trying to convey through corporal punishment," he said.

The assault laws, that allow parents to hit their kids within "reasonable limits", were largely passed in states and territories more than 100 years ago.

"We're talking about old laws for the most part," Professor Higgins said.

PAFRA researchers are calling for law reform and a public health campaign to encourage "more effective ways to discipline children".

Professor Higgins said the federal attorney general could work with state and territory counterparts to enact model legislation.

"It could be as simple as one clause that's added as an amendment to those state legislations," he said.

"We're not talking about scrapping entire criminal codes and starting again with a new piece of legislation, we're talking about relatively minor amendments to existing laws," Professor Higgins said.

The PAFRA researchers cited progress in 65 countries, including New Zealand, that changed legislation and educated parents on how to strengthen, not damage, bonds while disciplining.