‘Everyone owns the beach’: Australian PM throws shade at cabana debate | Antoine Albanais

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has spoken out about the drama unfolding on the country’s beaches, saying beachgoers who use portable huts to claim a patch of sand go against the spirit of equality of the nation.

Asked about the workout on morning television Tuesday, Albanese said it was “not news.”

Australian beaches are generally open to everyone, meaning that unlike other countries, the public don’t have to shell out to reserve a place to relax.

But as the country endured another sweltering January, with temperatures topping 40C in places, some wondered whether a proud Australian tradition was under threat.

Debate erupted online after photos emerged, and were later shared in a News Corp article, showing rows of cabanas – a portable shade structure – apparently being used to reserve prime spots on a beach in the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria.

Beachgoers would have arrived early in the morning to set up their cabanas, chairs and towels before leaving and returning later in the day.

“One of the great things about Australia, unlike some parts of the world, (where) you go and you have to pay to go to the beach, here everyone owns the beach,” Albanese said.

“Everyone. And this is a place where all Australians are equal. And it’s really a violation of that principle to think you can reserve a little place that’s yours.

In 2020, a proposal to turn part of Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach into a “Euro beach chic” private club – aimed at surgeons, bankers and models – was rejected by the local council. The mayor of neighboring Inner West council has called access to public beaches “a democratic and egalitarian principle that should never be compromised”, and a petition opposing the project has collected thousands of signatures.

In a statement explaining the decision, a spokesperson for Waverley City Council in Sydney said at the time that “our beaches and parks are public open spaces for all to enjoy.”

Christian Barry, a moral philosopher at the Australian National University, said this week’s debate over the use of sheds was a testament to how Australians view the concept of a “fair share of a common resource” – in this case , the beach – or behavior suggesting entitlement. to “special treatment”.

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“I think what people object to is the idea that people take more than their fair share,” Barry said.

“This is a core value: don’t take more than your fair share or expect special treatment from others when it comes to a common resource.

“There are a lot of good things about having such (shade) structures: they focus on protection, they allow families to spend more time at the beach than they otherwise would.

“They become unpopular when their use begins to encroach on the fair use of that resource by others.”

With no specific laws or regulations governing the use of beach cabanas, Barry said beachgoers who use them should use “a little common sense” and be prepared to “make some sacrifices” to avoid causing harm. conflicts.