INTRODUCTION
Consider what is accepted conduct in this country.
Also consider circumstances of each case when deciding what is normal.
When thinking about what is 'acceptable conduct', you need to consider what is 'seen as acceptable' in terms of conduct in Australia.
An obvious example of this would be female genital mutilation which is acceptable in some cultures, but unacceptable in Australia.
Another example is extreme corporal punishment – which again is acceptable in some cultures but not in Australia.
Obviously these behaviours would both be defined as child abuse in Australia regardless of the family’s origin or their culture.
But you also need to think about what’s normal conduct for the circumstances at the time – such as the age of the child.
For example it’s normal conduct for a Mother to leave a 15 year old at a park unsupervised, but not a 4 year old. Similarly it’s normal conduct for a Father to pick up an unwilling and screaming 3 year old Daughter and carry her home from a park, but probably not normal for a Father to do the same thing with a 15 year old Daughter.