It's not Australian: Albanese throws shade on cabana users hogging best beach spots

Australia's prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has weighed in on a drama unfolding on the country's beaches, declaring that beachgoers who use portable shade structures to claim a patch of sand are going against the nation's spirit of equality.

- Dan Jervis-Bardy

Asked about the practice on morning television yesterday, Albanese said it was "not on".

Australia's beaches are typically open to all, meaning that unlike in some other countries members of the public do not have to fork out cash to reserve a spot in the sand to relax on.

But as the country baked through another sweltering January, with temperatures exceeding 40C (104F) in parts, some wondered if a proud Australian tradition was under threat.

Debate flared online after photos emerged and were then shared on a local news site showing rows of cabanas apparently being used to reserve prime spots at a beach on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.

Beachgoers were reportedly arriving early in the morning to set up their cabanas, chairs and towels before leaving and returning to the space later in the day.

Albanese 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.