Child health experts from Royal Australasia College of Physicians (RACP) called for smacking of children to be punishable by law. The team said that children, like adults, should be protected from any form of assault.

In an official statement released Friday, July 26, 2013, Associate Professor Susan Moloney, President of the RACP's Paediatrics and Child Health Division called on parents to open their eyes to the traumatic effect of smacking on their children.

"Research is increasingly showing that physical punishment may be harmful and children who receive physical punishment are at risk for a range of adverse outcomes both in childhood and adulthood. These include mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, aggressive or antisocial behaviour, substance use problems and abuse of their own children or spouse," Ms Moloney said.

"While many children will not experience negative outcomes as a result of moderate or reasonable physical punishment, why put your child's future health and emotional wellbeing at risk? Many cases of physical abuse are the result of physical punishment that became more severe than intended and the difficulty with allowing the physical punishment of children is that the line can be easily blurred between abuse and reasonable force or chastisement that is currently permitted in some states when disciplining a child. "

Professor Kim Oates, Fellow of the RACP's Paedeiatrics and Child Health Division and Emeritus Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health in the University of Sydney explained, "Parents and caregivers want to do the right things for their child and should be supported to use more positive methods for managing a child's behaviour. Discipline is an essential part of good parenting, and effective discipline is about guiding a child so that they learn appropriate behaviour, and is grounded in a positive, supporting, loving relationship between the parent and child."

However, NSW Premier Barry O'Farrel slammed the proposition.

"Parenting is difficult enough now without people proposing laws that would be impossible to police, and it wouldn't take it any further. I think we have got the right balance in NSW and we are not proposing to change the law. I think most parents do it bloody well, and we shouldn't be trying to make it any more difficult for them," Mr O'Farrel said.

Victorian Minister for Community Services Mary Woolridge also opposed the idea and said that educating parents was the right thing to do to stop them from smacking their kids.

"We need to educate parents in relation to the issue of smacking... that there are alternatives to that."

Mr Oates further explained that, "Nobody is going to catch someone for a light hit of a child but parents will learn that that's not the most effective method. If we can get rid of that it will go a long way towards protecting children. There are many cases where discipline has got out of hand, all paediatricians see it. Children have been killed by parents and suffered many broken arms and black eyes and severe bruising."

Ms Moloney pointed out that there had been laws protecting children from smoking in cars and people could be arrested for hitting their dogs but why is it legal for parents to employ corporal punishment to their children?

"A child, the most vulnerable and dependent member of our society, is still the only person in Australia whom it is legal to hit."