Outrageous star votes yes on anti-smacking

MICHAEL FIELD/Fairfax

TICKING OVER: Outrageous Fortune star Robyn Malcolm ticks 'Yes' on one of the Yes Vote Coalition's posters.

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Robyn Malcolm, the star of the hard hitting comedy Outrageous Fortune, has come out in support of the anti-smacking legislation.

At the Auckland launch today of the Yes Vote Coalition she supported the group by putting a tick on one of their posters.

New Zealanders will next month vote in a referendum on the controversial anti-smacking bill which removes the defence of reasonable force for parents who abuse their children.

Voters will be asked to say yes or no to the question "Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?" The referendum is non-binding.

The Yes Vote Coalition interpret the question to mean that a yes vote will see the 2007 amendment to the Crime Acts retained. That amendment outlawed the defence of good parenting to allow smacking.

The Yes Vote Coalition, which is limited by the Electoral Act to spend $50,000 in its campaign, is backed by Plunket, Barnardos, Save the Children, Jigsaw, Ririki, Women's Refuge, Epoch New Zealand and Parents Centre.

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