SYDNEY, Dec 30: Topless tanning on Australia’s iconic beaches could soon be outlawed if a conservative lawmaker wins a battle to force women to keep their tops under wraps.

Fred Nile, an ordained reverend, has launched a bill which would ban topless sunbathing in the eastern state of New South Wales, which is home to Sydney’s renowned Bondi beach.

Nile says women baring their tops on the beach, a common practice among Australian sun-worshippers, is offensive and should be banned.

“The law should be clear. It must say exposure of women’s breasts on beaches will be prohibited,” Nile told Tuesday’s Daily Telegraph.

“If we don’t, we could have people saying ‘I’m not nude. I can walk (topless) down (Sydney’s main street),” he said.

Nile, leader of the Christian Democrats, has won backing for his crusade from some members of both the major Labour and Liberal parties in the state parliament, the newspaper said.

But Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said topless sunbathing was a private issue.

“People want to go to the beach and use the beach in a variety of ways,” Gillard told reporters.

“As long as people know what the rules are and know what to expect, I think it’s a matter for the individuals involved.”—AFP