Don Brash MP National Party Leader

14 June 2005

National to oppose smacking ban

"National will oppose the anti-smacking bill as we do not wish to make criminals out of law-abiding parents administering the most mild discipline - and that is the danger of removing clause 59 altogether," says National Party Leader Don Brash.

"If the bill reaches the select committee stage, National will propose an amendment to clause 59, to define 'reasonable force' and prevent any further situations where the courts have cleared parents of serious abuse, often using extreme violence and weapons, such as hunks of wood and canes, against their children.

"National regards such violence as completely unacceptable," says Dr Brash.

ENDS

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