Sydney's Bondi Beach. Topless tanning on Australia's iconic beaches could soon be outlawed¹ if a conservative lawmaker wins a battle to force women to keep their breasts under wraps

Australia's reputation as a laid-back, easy-going nation of sunworshippers is under threat from a plan by conservatives to force women to cover up on some of the country's most popular beaches.

Christian² MP and veteran morals campaigner Reverend Fred Nile, who is planning to introduce a bill to parliament banning topless sunbathing³, said high community standards should be observed in public places.

"The law should be clear. It must say exposure of women's breasts on beaches will be prohibited," he said.

The bill has won the support of Labour government MP Paul Gibson, who told the Sydney Daily Telegraph that families at the beach during the summer holidays did not want to see topless women.

"If you're on the beach do you want somebody with big knockers next to you when you're there with the kids?" he asked.

But some Australians, keen to protect their relaxed beachgoing lifestyle at the height of summer, have reacted angrily to the proposal.

Local councils, which are responsible for enforcing clothing standards at beaches, currently do not fine or prohibit topless bathers because they do not regard bare breasts as nudity.

NSW Assistant Health Minister Jodi McKay said banning topless sunbathing was a step too far. "We don't want to go down the slippery slope of banning activities like this. What would be next, banning breastfeeding?" she said.

Leanne Peters from the ACT Nudist Club in the capital Canberra said Australia would look like a "haven⁴ for prudes" in the unlikely event that laws passed parliament.

Topless sunbathing has been common on most beaches in Australia since the 1960s. Nude⁵ beaches are also legal in every state except Queensland.

British tourists enjoying the hot weather and cool water at Coogee beach in Sydney couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Lisa Clarke, 32, said she had sunbathed⁶ topless at several beaches on the Australian east coast but no one seemed to take any notice. "I don't see what the big deal is," she said.

 澳大利亚向来以让日光浴爱好者感到放松自在而闻名，然而这个美称正面临威胁。近日该国保守派议员近日提议，禁止女性在当地一些最受欢迎的海滩浴场袒胸晒日光浴。

基督教议员、资深道德活动家弗雷德•奈尔计划向议会提议禁止袒胸日光浴，他表示公共场所应树立较高的社会标准。

他说：“法律必须明文禁止女性袒胸日光浴。”

该提案已获得工党政府议员保罗•吉布森的支持。他在接受《悉尼每日电讯报》采访时称，家人暑期一起去海滩时可不想见到半裸的女性。

他问道：“如果你和孩子一起在海滩上，你愿意看到旁边躺着一位坦胸露乳的女郎吗？”

但一些热衷于保护夏季海滩浴自由方式的澳大利亚民众则对该提议极力反对。

负责执行海滩浴衣着标准的地方议会目前尚未限制或禁止袒胸日光浴，因为他们认为裸胸并不等于裸体。

新南威尔士州卫生部长助理乔迪•麦凯认为禁止袒胸日光浴有些过分。她说：“我们不想一下子就完全禁止这种行为。下一步呢？难道禁止母乳喂养吗？”

来自堪培拉“首都裸体俱乐部”的琳尼•彼得斯表示，这样一来澳大利亚会变成“过分正经女人的避难所”，而该提案不太可能在议会获得通过。

自上世纪60年代以来，袒胸日光浴在澳大利亚多数海滩极为普遍。除昆士兰州外，裸体浴场也都合法。

正在悉尼古珠海滩享受骄阳和清凉海水的英国游客不明白到底发生了什么。32岁的利萨•克拉克称她在澳大利亚东海岸的好多海滩都袒胸晒日光浴，但根本没人在意。她说：“想不通这有什么大不了的。”