It’s been a busy week on the beach fight front, there’s been plenty of activity and some positive news to report. Firstly, since the last outburst from Cr Humphrey, more media have contacted members of the Victorian nudist community with interest in our battle. As media releases come to light, we’ll post updates here (and if you come across one that we are not aware of, please let us know).

Talking about the media, some confusion was experienced this week when we were informed that a state inquiry was going to be conducted into all nude beaches in Victoria (YIKES!!!). The community rallied, and after a bunch of emails, calls and discussions later, it looks like there was some confusion over information provided to the media that was the source of the apparent “inquiry”.

The news gets even better - according to one of our community members who is in direct contact with our source at a state level (and who is directly involved in this issue):

Highly placed Government sources have today denied any knowledge of an inquiry into clothing optional beaches, and have re-affirmed a commitment to maintaining the status quo at Point Impossible.

Don’t let up the pressure though - Cr Ron Humphrey founded this entire debarcle on misinformation and emotive rhetoric, and we need to send a clear message that such tactics are unacceptable. We need to keep writing letters to the Surf Coast Shire Council, the press and to the Ministers office showing our support for clothing optional status. If you are local and live within the Surf Coast Shire, also write to the council expressing your disgust at how Cr Humphrey has tried to subvert your rights without appropriate consultation - his behaviour on this issue alone should be enough to ensure no-one votes for him again.

Edit: It would appear some sort of review is going to be performed, although the Ministers office has released zero detail, simply stating they are going to look at the issue. Refer to the post above for more detail

More articles appeared in the local media today (24/8), and we’re starting to see a pattern form. Cr Humphrey makes some emotive statements (some might even say specious), fails to support any claims with actual fact, and seems to think readers should simply believe him! Too bad his perception of his own popularity appears flawed like his arguments (for a reminder, Click here).

In the latest articles, in the same paper no less (”The Echo”), Cr Humphrey manages to make a bunch of statements but completely miss the point (yet again). From this article (Click here), here are some quotes and our comments in response:

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Representatives of the nudist community are planning on distributing information about the Council’s action at the beach over coming weeks. Visitors to the area may receive a flyer containing some of the following information - everyone is urged to help the community and write to Rob Hulls, Minister for Planning (contact details on the Addresses page).

SAVE POINT IMPOSSIBLE BEACH

The Surf Coast Shire has recently made a recommendation to the Victorian Government Planning Minister to close Pt Impossible as an ‘optional dress beach’.

Your support is needed to keep this beach open for us all to enjoy. The more people who contact the Minister, the more likely he is to listen.

Please support the campaign by writing to or emailing:

The Honourable Rob Hulls
Department of Justice
Level 17, 8 Nicholson St
EAST MELBOURNE VIC. 3002
Email:

You may want to say something like this:

“We believe that the recommendation to close Pt Impossible as an ‘optional dress beach’ has been made with scant evidence and hysterical over-reactions on the part of those supporting the recommendation and without appropriate consultation in the community of those who actually use this facility.

There are hundreds of ‘clothed’ beaches available to those who have no interest in ‘optional dress’ beaches. Why should law-abiding citizens be penalised in their recreation because of their preferences? Surely in 2006, Governments must be seen to support diversity rather than conformity.

Many of the users of this beach, gazetted as ‘optional dress’ more than 30 years ago, come from Melbourne and from interstate and overseas. The closure of this beach leaves us open to being seen as small-minded and provincial as well as causing a drop in tourist visits and affecting the development of regional businesses on which we so much rely.

Thanks for your support
For more information visit ‘Free Beach Association Victoria’— http://www.fbanavic.org/

The campaign to bring attention to our plight moves up a notch, as articles start to appear in the local media. Last Saturday (19/8) an article appeared in the Geelong Advertiser (Click here to read) which actually quotes Cr Humphrey as stating that the “appalling behaviour” is not actually “in the beach but outside” - he tries his best to associate depraved behaviour with nudism and fails yet again to mount a convincing argument!! Like all his claims, still not an actual fact to be seen anywhere - apparently the nudist community “had obviously not spoken to the right police if it believed the area was safe”. Well Ron, we’ve spoken to the actual Torquay police and a Geelong Police Inspector, and since we only believe there is one kind of police, perhaps you might want to get “your police” to make a public statement in support of your claims?

In other news, an article appeared today (23/8) also in the Geelong Advertiser (Click here to read) with more quote gold from Cr Ron - “I can assure the broader community that I have confidence that the truth is being told by the many people that have reported very serious incidents to me” - excuse me Ron, but those serious incidents were surely reported to the police weren’t they? Not according to the police we spoke to.

Interestingly, what person who sees a “serious incident” on a beach would report it to a Shire councillor as their first (and only) report? Perhaps I’m naive, but statements like that seem to lack some of the evidenciary substance you’d expect to see when claims are being made against a community group. We’re more than happy to review Cr Ron’s evidence supporting his claims as soon as he actually provides some.

It’s been a busy week on the political lobbying front. Many letters to council, newspapers, the state government - who needs sleep!! Last Friday (18/9) the Great Ocean Road Council Committee (GORCC) held their latest meeting. We didn’t expect much out of it and we weren’t surprised - we’ve received unoffical word that GORCC basically did nothing with the Surf Coast Shire’s request to revoke clothing optional status of our two beaches, so it looks like we’re off to State level on this one! That’s good news for us in the community, since it means others out there can see the reality of the situation and aren’t buying into Cr Ron Humphrey’s view of the world.

(to recap - Surf Coast Shire voted 5:2 with 2 absentees on a motion from Cr Ron Humphrey to have clothing optional status removed from Pt Addis and Southside!! Turns out the motion was based on flawed/false information, and Council failed to follow their own Governance Manual by not involving the community in the decision - Ron must be popular in Chambers at the moment!!. The motion sought to have the plan for revocation presented to GORCC and then the Minister of Planning, Rob Hulls.)

Now that this is escalating to a State level, if any of you reading this have not sent letters to Rob Hulls on this issue, NOW is the time to get onto it. We know there are thousands of users on these two beaches every summer, and we all like the fact that they are both great (and safe) places to be on a nice warm day!! So, if you want to keep using the beaches, we need your support!!!

Contact information is on the “Addresses” page over there on the right - it doesn’t have to be in huge detail like our Open Letter, or even particularly wordy, simply write down in your own words why you don’t want the beaches to lose their clothing optional status.

These beaches are for all of us to use, so don’t be shy and speak up now, when we all need your support!!