States refuse to buckle amid calls to ban cane

CORPORAL punishment can still be enforced in some independent schools because of a legal loophole in three states.

CORPORAL punishment can still be enforced in some independent schools because of a legal loophole in three states.

Conservative governments in Queensland and Western Australia and the Labor South Australian government do not intend to make legal changes to ban corporal punishment or remove legal defences for it, as have occurred in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.

The state governments stress the changes would be theoretical as few schools list caning as an option and even fewer practise it. In the rare cases it is practised, schools say it is with parental support.

Two schools in WA are known to use corporal punishment.

The Central Queensland Christian College, near Rockhampton, which is affiliated with the Christian Schools Australia group, lists on its website corporal correction as the fourth in a six-step program of discipline.

Before and after "one stroke to the bottom with a suitable adult witness present" the reasons are explained to the student.

Principal Michael Appleton declined to comment to The Australian.

In a blog from last June he said the school had a "culture of grace and love", but physical discipline was used after warnings, time-outs and discussions with parents.

"Normally this is never needed, but sometimes there are children who are looking for the boundaries in life and will push and push until they find them," he said.

"When they have that 'ouch' moment physically, they know they're going the wrong way."

CSA chief executive Stephen O'Doherty said he was unaware of any schools using the cane in the past five years.

"There are some communities where they still think that as a last resort it's a reasonable policy," he said. "Where it is part of the policy it's something that the parents want."

Lynette Hussey, principal of Arethusa College at Burpengary, north of Brisbane, said the school used restorative justice for their students instead of suspensions or corporal punishment, despite some parents telling teachers to "give them a belting".

"They learn a lot more than just punishment. We want them to learn from their mistakes," Ms Hussey said.

Use of the cane and other corporal punishment has been banned in public schools around Australia since the 1980s. Catholic schools have also banned the practice.

Queensland Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said the LNP government had no intention of changing the current restrictions.

West Australian Education Minister Elizabeth Constable said only two private schools chose to use corporal punishment, with parental consent, but she did not support physical punishment.

Prominent child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said corporal punishment was "barbaric" and had no place in the modern education system.

He said the practice should be banned at all schools across Australia, "without question".