MEDIA RELEASE
3 August 2011
More Options For Voters For Repealing Anti-Smacking Law

Family First NZ is welcoming the announcement of another political party which has committed to tossing out the flawed and clumsy anti-smacking law, and says the party will benefit in the polls from the announcement.

“The newly announced Conservative Party says they will repeal the anti-smacking law and will respect Citizen’s Initiated Referendums. They join NZ First as political parties who may receive the significant voter bloc who want the law amended and will vote according to that policy,” says Bob McCoskrie , National Director of Family First NZ.

In the poll of 1,000 people undertaken by Curia Market Research in March, 32% said they would be more likely (up from 22% in 2010) to vote for a party that committed to amending the anti-smacking law, and 10% said less likely (down from 12% in 2010). The response was strongest from men, but also from younger people (18-30 age bracket – 48% more likely to vote for a party that amends the law).

“That’s a potential gain of 22% for a political party, which is a significant voter bloc. NZ First and the Conservative Party stand to benefit from this policy. Yet they are simply listening to the 80-90% opposition to the law from day one.”

“The government hoped that by ignoring parents, the smacking debate would disappear, but while good parents who are trying to raise law abiding productive members of society are investigated, threatened, and criminalised for simply doing their job, the debate will not be going away – and nor will the level of opposition. The evidence has now been documented on the website www.protectgoodparents.org.nz.,” says Mr McCoskrie.

ENDS

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