“Words fail me,” claimed Peter Garrigan, President of the Australian Council of State School Organizations’ (ACSSO) on hearing co-chair of the Australian Curriculum Review, Kevin Donnelly, commenting on the effectiveness of corporal punishment.
“The debate on this issue has long been had with parents overwhelmingly supporting the abolition of the cane,” he continued
“There is no place in our schools for this kind of abuse,” he said, “particularly by an authority figure.”
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians position paper Physical Punishment of Children1 claims “it can have adverse consequences in the long term for the child’s health, particularly their behaviour and emotional well-being”
“This form of punishment fails to recognise the human rights of the child. The most effective form of punishment is in a positive supporting relationship that emphasises positive reinforcement rather than physical punishment,” Mr Garrigan stated.
“Society has moved beyond this archaic methodology of behavior management, and offers our young people respect as they learn and make mistakes. Parents will not tolerate its return, and will not tolerate a person in a position like Mr Donnelly who holds these views.”