Parents may be prosecuted for insults

Squabbles over the remote control or whose turn it is to empty the dishwasher are the bedrock of daily family life. But mothers and fathers who insult each other in front of their children may now find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

Australian courts have begun ordering parents to refrain from making offensive remarks, claiming that constant carping between couples can damage young minds.

The orders relate not only to expletive-laden abuse, but to any remark that might be used by one parent to turn a child against the other. The type of comments that have attracted judges' opprobrium include many seemingly innocuous ones, such as references to "Your silly mother", or asking "Has your father got a job yet?".

Dianne Gibson, the director of child dispute services at the Family Court, acknowledged there might be alarm over judicial intervention into the private sphere, particularly among households where domestic disharmony is commonplace. But she added: "They may say it's just playful banter, but it's not banter from the point of view of children. Derogatory comments really do have a harmful impact."

While there is a certain subjectivity over what constitutes a derogatory remark, Miss Gibson said it was the purpose of the comment, not the words, that was important. Expressions such as "He never amounted to anything", " Your father never had any friends", "She's just a God-botherer", "My mother always thought he was no good" and "He's only a store man" have all been deemed unacceptable.