Why A-Bay will be a no-go for nude bathers
New article from Sunshine Coast Daily May 5th.ATTEMPTS to make Noosa's unofficial nude beach, Alexandria Bay, legal have been dealt a bitter blow.Queensland Police Minister Bill Byrne has rejected a request for Queensland to legalise clothing optional beaches.Australian Sex Party representative Robin Bristow, who lives in Noosa, slammed Mr Byrne's announcement."Our state is 40 years behind the rest of Australia in legalising nude beaches," Mr Bristow said."We are the last state in Australia to make this simple change to legislation."How can we call ourselves the Smart State if our politicians can't even move into the 21st Century?"Mr Byrne rejected two attempts - a paper petition with 527 signatures and an online petition bearing 946 names - to create a "clothing optional beach" in Queensland.He said the state's Public Safety Business Agency advised Queensland's wilful exposure laws were designed to protect citizens and keep them safe."As such, I can advise that the Queensland Government has no plans to change the current legislation dealing with wilful exposure," Mr Byrne said."Therefore, the designation of a clothing optional beach is not supported at this time."Mr Bristow said Mr Byrne's argument that it was designed for the "protection and safety of Queenslanders" was pathetic."What are the people in Queensland being protected from? It is their choice to be on a nude beach and making such a claim is complete rubbish when we see that the rest of Australia has the freedom to visit the many clothing optional beaches up and down the coast."Queensland is making criminals out of decent folk who are making adult decisions about their lifestyle, decisions that do not affect anyone else."We are tired of being seen as the backward state and we need the Queensland government to show that we have moved on from the Joe Bjelke-Petersen era."Mr Bristow claimed Noosa councillors, in a majority show of hands, had expressed their desire to see Alexandria Bay in Noosa National Park be designated as a legal nude beach and Townsville Council has also recently commissioned their staff to start public consultations in anticipation of changes being made to the law."This change to the law will cost the Queensland government absolutely nothing and will boost tourism, jobs and the economy. The people of Queensland are waiting for their government to grow up and to start treating them like adults."
Very annoyed to see that the Queensland govt wouldn't even discuss the petition for law changes to allow nude beach before they outright rejected it despite the petition from nearly 1,000 people. Yet today in the news the govt have decided they will review laws to legalise medical cannabis after surveying 1,000 people. I know which I would rather. I can just hear the dope smokers now... "Doc, I'm in chronic pain. Can I have some medical pot?"
I cant believe the qld government in not letting the beach be a clothing optional, its a great beach I was there a few yearsago and really loved it, its such a great place for being nude and just relax, I hope they leave it the way it is.
This is very disappointing from a supposed progressive government with a social view point. The best course of action is to lobby your local state member and remind them how they get to be in the state parliament and why they are there to represent the views of the people not there views. This state has two main sources of revenue mining which is on the decline and tourism. Now a legal or clothing optional nude beach or better still a number of them would boost tourism more jobs how is that bad.
We have to force their hand or nothing will happen.
Cheers Steve
Queensland - so beautiful, yet so utterly backwards.
Visit the nudie beach in Byron Bay, just over the NSW border on any day of the week, and most of the licence plates on the vehicles in the carpark are from Queensland.
Its such a loss for the Sunshine State.