2013-09-192013-09-192013http://hdl.handle.net/11212/1111http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/SSRN_ID1609465_code865834.pdf?abstractid=1609465&mirid=1This article outlines the current state of the law on the physical discipline of children and argues the case for legal change in Australia. It also identifies the politics of the ongoing debate and its potent symbolism - claims that physical parental punishment amounts to child abuse and state-sanctioned violence, pitted against claims that parental rights and the privacy of the home will be violated by state regulation of physical punishment.Caregivers -- ParentsChild abuseChild maltreatmentChild welfareLaw