The end of discipline - the start of anarchy !

Our Kiwi cousins across the Tasman have passed a new law forbidding the smacking of a child to correct bad behaviour. Not even a light smack on the hand or a whack on the bum is now legal. Do that and you will end up in court and face a fine - but not a criminal conviction. At least the framers of that law had the common sense not to carry the penalty to that extreme.
The do gooders and bleeding hearts will be rejoicing - and there will be pressure to enact such legislation here in Australia. Hopefully, that will not happen. The law as it stands permits reasonable punishment by way of a light smack with a hand. Few people would approve of more severe punishment that is already outlawed but there must be a balance between correcting bad behaviour and allowing children to become little outlaws free from any form of restraint.
We already have some stupid laws on the books. According to NSW law children under ten do not know the difference between right and wrong - and therefore can not be put before a court or punished in any way for a crime. As a result older children encourage their younger brethren to run into shops, grab handfuls of candy and make off with the full knowledge that neither the law or the shopkeeper can do anything about it.
In rougher areas, such children can break windows, commit arson and do whatever they please blissfully aware that they are immune from any consequences.
Maybe it is time the people who suggest insane laws took a long, hard look at nature. Controlling young offspring and their behaviour is part of upbringing by every species on this earth. The mother of a litter of pups will administer a sharp nip if one misbehaves. A troublesome bear cub will receive a swipe of a paw to bring him or her into line.
Children have been spanked since the days when the pyramids were being built - and probably centuries before that. We already have uncontrolled young people roaming the streets and causing havoc, and much of that is caused by parents who failed to control bad behaviour in younger years. This crazy New Zealand law can only add to those problems in coming years !