Nudist News - Nudist Blog at eNaturist.com

The New South Wales Government and Opposition say they will not be heeding the Reverend Fred Nile's call for a vote to ban topless sunbathing.

The New South Wales Government and Opposition say they will not be heeding the Reverend Fred Nile's call for a vote to ban topless sunbathing.

The acting Premier Carmel Tebbutt says she does not support a ban.

"Commonsense should prevail," she said.

"We have had topless sunbathing on beaches in NSW for quite some time now."

"I think the real issue is we want people to take some care in the sun, and topless sunbathing or any sort of sunbathing does expose you to a risk of melanoma.

"I'd just say to people, cover up and get out of the sun because you don't want to place yourself at risk of sun cancers."

The Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell says topless sunbathing is a third rate political issue that does not warrant the State Parliament's attention.

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Reading's easy, but naturist Pos Chute is more than willing to tackle more tricky activities in the buff.

Asked if there was anything he wouldn't do, he said: "Maybe ice-caving," then quickly retracted. "Oh nah, I'd probably give that a go."

Mr Chute, 32, an air force engineer, of Palmerston North, was among more than 130 other naturists or nudists who descended on Te Marua, Upper Hutt, for the 57th national festival of the Naturist Federation.

The week-long event, which started on Sunday, has attracted sun-lovers from as far away as Britain and Germany to the park-like camp at the foot of the Rimutaka Range.

Wellington Naturist Club president Ken Mercer said the warm weather was playing a big part in the success of the event, which includes team games, miniten a form of tennis and petanque. His wife, Judith, said many non-nudists had misconceptions about naturist camps. "They just don't know what to expect."

June Campbell-Tong, of Whitby, has been a passionate supporter of nudity for 45 years. "It's beautiful, it's wonderful," she said. "I can't wait to come out here it's a stress release. People can come here and forget the outside world."

She said that, in today's busy world, people could forget to relax, and becoming a naturist could help to solve a lot of the stress involved with tough economic times.