The conservative education academic Kevin Donnelly, hand-picked by Education Minister Christopher Pyne to review the national schools curriculum, says he has "no problem" with corporal punishment in schools.
Dr Donnelly said although the days of the cane were long gone from schools, corporal punishment could have a place in schools "if it is done properly" and "if the school community is in favour of it".
Commenting on figures that show suspension rates in NSW schools have risen 35 per cent over the past five years, Dr Donnelly said he knew of one or two schools in Australia that used corporal punishment.
"I am sure they only do it very rarely," Dr Donnelly told radio station 2UE.
Dr Donnelly, who has previously said the Bible should be taught in state schools and suggested that parents would see homosexuality as "decidely unnatural", said corporal punishment was used when he went to school in Victoria.
"We had a Scottish phys ed teacher and, whenever there was any discipline problems, he would take the boy behind the shed and say 'we can either talk about this or you can throw the first punch'," Dr Donnelly said. "He would lose his job now but it was very effective."
The Australian Education Union seized on Dr Donnelly's comments and said Mr Pyne need to explain how someone with Dr Donnelly's views could be charged with reviewing the national curriculum.
