The Australian Prime Minister has called out beachgoers for using shady structures to reserve spaces on the beach. Australian PM, Anthony Albanese, has said that using a shade structure to reserve a spot on the beach is "not on" as a local mayor has urged beachgoers to be kind and considerate".
Some beachgoers are using portable cabanas to claim patches of sand, but Albanese says that this goes against the nation's spirit of equality. The PM was asked about the practice on TV on Tuesday, where he said: “One of the great things about Australia, unlike some parts of the world, [where] you go and you’ve got to pay to go to the beach, here, everyone owns the beach.
“Everyone. And it’s a place where every Australian is equal. And that’s a breach of that principle, really, to think that you can reserve a little spot as just yours," reports The Guardian. Australia's beaches are usually open to all, which means the public do not have to pay for a spot or lounger to relax and enjoy the sand. However, debate spurred online after photos emerged showing rows of cabanas being used to reserve the 'best' beach spots on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.
Visitors were reportedly arriving in the early morning and setting up their cabanas, chairs and towels to snatch a prime spot before leaving the beach and returning later in the day when they wanted beach time. Anthony Marsh, the Mornington Peninsula shire mayor, said beachgoers were entitled to use cabanas but said that “reserving space on the beach and then going off and doing other stuff” was not appropriate, according to The Guardian.
