It’s been the subject of debate for years, but now paediatricians are pushing to make smacking children illegal.

Dr Gervase Chaney, the head of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians' Paediatric & Child Health Division says it’s no longer ok for parents to argue that smacking ‘never did us any harm’.

He has likened smacking a child to child abuse and said his colleagues should join him in standing up for human rights.

His comments were published in a letter in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health

The debate was sparked by a letter to the UK’s Daily Telegraph by Prof Terence Stephenson from the Royal College of Paediatrics.

He said: “Smacking is too often seen as the easy option – sadly as paediatricians we see all too often today’s smack becomes tomorrow’s punch.”

The letter to the paper was in response to claims that a UK MP said that last year’s London riots could be partly blamed on parents’ inability to smack their children in order to punish them.

In Australia, Dr Chaney is pushing The Royal Australasian College of Physicians paediatric and child health division to officially support a ban on smacking.

Their current position is opposed to the use of physical discipline and says that it’s an infeffective method of punishing children however he feels it doesn’t go far enough: "There has been good evidence that in countries where it has been banned there is a reduction in child abuse.”

He says he will push for a formal chance of stance on smacking and that it was likely to be approved and will be followed with a call for official legislative change.

However according to the Herald Sun, it wouldn’t be supported in Victoria. A spokesman for Premier Ted Baillieu said there were "no plans to change the law as it relates to the smacking of children''.

In Australian states, a parent can smack as long as it is considered ‘reasonable chastisement’.

According to the Daily Telegraph, psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said he favoured "reasonable chastisement of a child".

"You are not allowed to hit a child on the head or with an implement. The reality is the two most effective ways of disciplining children are noticing when they get it right and reinforcing that with praise, and time out," he said.

The issue has divided opinion this morning. Neil Mitchell from 3AW told Mel and Kochie on Sunrise that although smacking is damaging, you can’t make it illegal.

He said: “You can’t have police sitting at every dinner table every night. I’d rather the doctors were suggesting something with a bit more consideration. Instead of smacking, try time out or come up with options.”

Chris Smith from 2GB agreed, saying it’s parents’ responsibility. “I don’t think a ban would work. Would it be enforceable? When it comes to serious cases of child abuse, we can’t police and enforce that properly. Both the police and state governments will tell you that.”

He believes that parents don’t need to smack anymore. “There are so many devices in the modern family environment you can use to prevent bad behaviour.”