Federal MP Bob Katter wants child protection laws changed so parents can smack and discipline children with "reasonable corporal punishment" without the fear of "do-gooders" swooping.

The Kennedy MP is working on legislation that would require government agencies to prove excessive force had been used to discipline a child before they could be removed.

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He said the rights of parents had been eroded by "power-drunk welfare officers" threatening to remove children.

Mr Katter says children needed discipline to learn right from wrong.

"Self-righteous do-gooders have created an epidemic of fear where children have been forcibly removed from their homes after being disciplined by their parents," he said.

"We talk about the horrors of the Stolen Generation, when kids were being taken from their parents.

"Times have not changed - only now, both white and black kids are being taken at seven times the rate of the Stolen Generation."

Mr Katter said the rights of parents to discipline children had to be restored.

ACT For Kids spokesman Colin Fruk said Mr Katter's comments showed a lack of understanding of how children learnt and developed.

He said children aged under three were particularly vulnerable to smacking with increased risk of less-than-optimal brain development that can affect their ability to manage stress and learn.

Mr Fruk said a recent poll of 750 adults found almost 70 per cent supported smacking and 45 per cent believed it was acceptable to leave a mark on a child.

"We don't believe in persecuting parents for minor smacking incidents, but we do emphasise that there are always better alternatives to smacking when it comes to disciplining children," he said.

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