Family First’s South Australian Upper House candidate, Deepa Mathew, has strongly rejected calls from the South Australian Royal Commission into Domestic Violence to ban parents from disciplining their children with a light smack.
“The idea that loving parents might go to jail for reasonably disciplining their children because busy bodies intrude into how they decide what is best of their kids is a massive overreach of Government,” Ms Mathew said.
“Conflating the loving discipline of responsible parents with domestic violence is wrong, insulting, and out of touch with the lived experience of families,” Ms Mathew said.
“The overwhelming majority of mums and dads know the difference between abuse and discipline.
“Injuring a child is of course abhorrent and should always be condemned and reported to police under existing laws.
“But a smack on the backside without injury is not violence—it is a time-tested way to ensure children learn key life lessons.”
Ms Mathew said attempts to erase the role of parental discipline ignore common sense and undermine parents’ authority in raising well-adjusted kids.
“You can’t negotiate with a two-year-old,” she said. “Sometimes words are not enough to curb dangerous or defiant behaviour. A quick, measured smack has helped generations of parents set boundaries that children understand.”
The Domestic Violence Commission’s claim that smacking normalises violence is contradicted by the lived experience of countless families, she said.
“As Sky News host James MacPherson noted on his Substack today, discipline is about correction, not rage. Abuse leaves bruises, but discipline leaves lessons.
“It is dishonest to pretend parents can’t tell the difference.”
Ms Mathew noted that an Advertiser poll this week showed 80 per cent of South Australians opposed banning smacking.
“That shows how badly the Royal Commission has misread community sentiment,” she said. “Parents are tired of being told by bureaucrats and activists that they don’t know how to raise their own children.”
“Family First stands with responsible parents who love their children enough to teach them right from wrong. The state should be supporting parents, not undermining them with ideological bans.”
Ms Mathew said Family First would oppose any attempt to outlaw smacking in South Australia.
“South Australians are rightly appalled by domestic violence and want serious measures to protect women and children. But banning smacking is a distraction that will do nothing to stop genuine abuse. It will only criminalise good parents and erode their ability to raise disciplined, respectful young people.”
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