The childbeaters' attempt to force a referendum on the child discipline law has failed to gain enough signatures. Under the Citizens Initiated Referenda Act 1993, Family First needed to get 285,027 signatures - 10% of the electorate. However, based on a large random sample, they got only 269,500. They now have two months to scrape up the 15,500 signatures they need, and I have no doubt they'll get them. The interesting question will be whether they will be new signatures, or whether it will be the same people signing again...
Correction: Corrected Stuff's stuffed-up numbers.
