‘Not on’: PM weighs in on beach cabana debate

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rallied Australians against a popular summer target: the wave of cabanas being used by beachgoers to secure prime sandy real estate.

Albanese said using cabanas to capture turf without the occupants even being present for hours breached the principle that every Australian owned the country’s beaches.

Cabanas are now common on Australia’s beaches.Credit: Steven Siewert

“That’s not on,” Albanese said on Nine’s Today show. “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,” he said.

“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.”

Cabana use is divisive on social media, with many critical of beaches crowded with the portable structures and others noting the shade stands could obscure lifesavers’ view of the surf. Others argue they are useful for sun protection.

In the United States, some beach authorities have taken action to ban or restrict cabanas to prevent “beach spreading” although local councils have so far ruled out following suit in Australia.

Google Trends data shows search queries for “cabana” in the final weeks of 2024 were up more than 66 per cent on the same period last year.

Australian councils have not introduced formal restrictions on cabana use, with the Northern Beaches Council instead asking people to relocate if their cabana impedes lifeguards’ view.

Albanese acknowledged his stance on cabanas could spark some outrage.

“I didn’t see that question coming, I’ve got to say, on the Today show, but we’ll wait and see the reaction,” he said. “No doubt there’ll be some horror at my declaration there.”

Beachkit Australia founder Rowan Clark, who sells equipment including cabanas, said he agreed with Albanese’s view that beaches were free to be used by anyone, but said denying Australians their ability to set up a spot on the beach was breaking decades of summer tradition.

“[Albanese’s] comments I believe are not what most Australian beachgoers would agree on,” Clark said in an email.

However, Clark said beachgoers with a cabana, which can take up the space of three to four umbrellas, should be courteous.

“They should only allow set up at the rear of the beach in a line,” he said. “Once this is exhausted, then no more of this style of shade should be allowed. We have noticed many families having a conscience and reverting back to umbrellas this summer.”

Credit: Matt Golding

The mayor of Port Phillip in Melbourne, Louise Crawford, said the council had an accessible beach program to encourage people to visit its 11 kilometres of foreshore, which includes St Kilda and Port Melbourne beaches.

“We are pleased we have not received complaints about “early birds” reserving prime positions with cabanas as this means everyone has the same opportunity to connect and relax at these popular public spaces,” Crawford said in a statement.

Hobsons Bay, Waverley, Woollahra and Bayside councils, and other cabana suppliers including CoolCabanas – an Australian company that pioneered lightweight beach cabanas more than a decade ago – were contacted for comment. The Cancer Council declined to comment.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.