The Katter’s Australian Party is calling for a return to corporal punishment in Queensland, as party leader Robbie Katter, Bob Katter’s son, campaigns before the state election.
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Asked to respond to the proposal on Seven’s Sunrise, Nationals senator Matt Canavan joked that the online stories gave him “PTSD”, resurfacing memories of getting the strap in year 3.
“I think it should stay with parents. I don’t think teachers want this kind of responsibility,” Canavan said.
“I am not against parents giving the odd smack as long as it is in a reasonable way to children, but it should be up to the parents, not at the school grounds, I believe.”
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Canavan then said he believed young Australians weren’t being disciplined enough.
“I think they don’t get the disciplining and they struggle from growing from the boy into the man and you have to realise there are consequences for bad conduct and the sooner you realise that, the better you will end up being.”
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek told Sunrise she was against the proposal.
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“I think you would find it pretty hard to find teachers who got into teaching so they could hit kids,” she said.
“When it comes to parents, I got the occasional smack on the bum growing up and I think the much more effective times were when my parents talked to me about the consequences of my behaviour.”
Plibersek said it shouldn’t be completely up to the parents to decide on discipline because there are some parents out there who do the wrong thing.
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“There are parents out there who burn their kids with cigarettes. You can’t just say anything goes in a situation like this,” she said.
