Stumble It!
« Family Integrity #493 — Correction to media reports of police response to assault charge being petty and ridiculous [NZ Police News] | Main | Law continues to be a dog’s breakfast »
Latest Smacking Law Review Offers No Comfort
By HEF Admin | December 7, 2009
Family First NZ
MEDIA RELEASE
7 December 2009
Latest Smacking Law Review Offers No Comfort
Family First NZ is dismissing yet another report on the anti-smacking law which fails to address the real issues and concerns over the law change.
“This is the eighth report in just over two years on the law change. There have never been so many reports in such a short time frame on a law change in an attempt to sell it,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. “The police have done six reports, a report from the ministry of Social Development, and now this report commissioned by the Prime Minister in response to the overwhelming rejection of the law in the recent Referendum.”
“We weren’t expecting miracles in this report because one of the panel members Peter Hughes from the MSD has only recently released a report where he admits that he cannot conclude whether the law is achieving its purpose, and he cannot conclusively say that good parents are not being criminalized or victimized by this law with unnecessary state intervention. This is primarily because he doesn’t talk to them!”
“A senior police office who examined the prosecutions of a number of parents as a result of the new law says that without exception, the public interest was not served in pursuing prosecutions.”
“In the latest report, it fails in the following areas:
- it fails to address the concerns of kiwi parents as to what effect it has had on their parenting
- it fails to address the issue of children dobbing in their own parents, and threatening to report them to the police or CYF
- it fails to address the concern expressed by police and youth workers regarding the increasing rate of assaults by young people on their parents
- it fails to address the procedural conflict between the smacking law which allows ‘discretion’ versus the family violence police which demands zero tolerance
- it fails to address why so many cases of what are supposed to be ‘assaults’ are receiving inconsequential punishments, and why so many investigations are ending up with a warning and in many cases, no action at all
- it fails to address the effect of criminalising an action (light smacking for the purpose of correction) which most NZ’ers simply don’t believe should be treated as a criminal offence under the law.”
“This report is another government-funded sales pitch for a flawed law which has been resoundingly rejected by New Zealanders. John Key promised ‘comfort’ for parents, but it’s not comforting when he ignores almost 90% in a referendum, and retains a law which he admits is a ‘dog’s breakfast’, badly drafted, and extremely vague.”
“A law that requires so many compromises, guidelines, helplines, reviews, and parent education could be easily fixed with a simple amendment-the Boscawen amendment. That’s what parents deserve” says Mr McCoskrie.
ENDS
For More Information and Media Interviews, contact Family First:
Bob McCoskrie – National Director
Mob. 027 55 555 42
Related document:
Topics: News Media/Press Releases | 4 Comments »
December 8th, 2009 at 3:35 am
[…] Latest Smacking Law Review Offers No Comfort […]
March 5th, 2010 at 9:05 am
Looks like left leaning liberals continue to use anonoymous answers or often only a Christian Name in their emails, blogs or numerous nasty phone messages very gutless, Julie and Sam should front up with their surname and location or maybe they are just part of the Barnadoes organisation.
March 5th, 2010 at 9:19 am
Bishop Brian Tamaki and Richard Lewis appear to be doing what the Bible says we should ALL do. They are loving the UNLOVABLE. Maybe we/ME who are not in this Destiny MOVEMENT should take a leaf out of their book – after all are they not loving people many of us would have given up on, what mighty men of God to save NZers millions of dollars when former murderers, child abusers, rapists, thiefs reform just because of the Bishops good teachings, Radio Lives Willie was wise we should just clone Brian, Jesus may very well say to Brian and Richard well done good and faithful servants. So what if Bishop Brians church has an eftpos machine. Its not a crime when plenty of other churches also have them, who cares anyway.
March 23rd, 2010 at 8:04 pm
TV3 had Destiny Church Bishop Brian Tamaki 6am Wednesday morning 24/3/10 awesome teaching on Training up Children so that when they are older they will not depart from good teaching. Makes great teaching great watch makes me wonder if 2004 was the last Enough is enough march at Parliment oh thats right 10,000 people joined Brian Tamaki at Parliment in 2007 to march against the antismacking bill. Bishop Brian speaks from the heart with commonsense must be time to advertise another march on Wednesday 31st to make PM listen to the referendum