‘Nanny state’: Cafe owner defends Christmas beach bash as mayor vows ‘never again’

A local cafe owner urged against a “nanny state” ban after 15,000 revellers left piles of rubbish at a beach party bash.

A Sydney cafe owner urged the council not to ban the annual Bronte Beach Christmas party after 15,000 revellers infuriated locals by leaving piles of rubbish in their wake, prompting the mayor to vow never again.

Dave Martin, owner of the Courtyard cafe in nearby Coogee, said while photos showing the rubbish-strewn aftermath of the popular backpacker event were “pretty damning”, Waverley City Council should avoid a “kneejerk” reaction and instead “embrace it and do it properly”.

“They should treat it like a festival, cater for it and embrace it instead of trying to suppress it,” he said.

“Whether that means putting up more cleaners, temporary fencing, charging a fee, putting on DJs, security staff, port-a-loos — rather than do what Australians are renowned for and ban everything.”

The 53-year-old said Waverley shouldn’t follow in the footsteps of Randwick City Council, which enacted alcohol bans nearly a decade ago across Coogee, Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama after similar out-of-control Christmas gatherings drew the ire of locals.

Around 15,000 people descended on Bronte Beach on Christmas Day. Picture: Monique Harmer/NewsWire

“We’re still paying the price, mum and dad having a BBQ with the kids can’t have a glass of wine,” he said.

“They upped the bins this year but obviously it still wasn’t enough. It’s pretty bad, I get that side of things. I’m not saying they shouldn’t take personal responsibility.”

But Mr Martin said Christmas Day at the beach was a major draw card for international tourists that injected much needed money into the local economy.

He argued council should be better prepared because “everyone knows they’re coming”, and that it was simply “whining” because it wanted more money from the state government.

“People come from all over the world to have this day at the beach, it’s a big thing for them,” he said.

“All the local businesses embrace it [but] the majority of the [locals] wouldn’t want it. It’s the old thing, the entitlement. It’s one day, let them have it.”

Mr Martin said Australia was “turning into a nanny state” country full of “narks”.

“When I was growing up we were supposed to be the most laid-back, carefree country in the world but not anymore,” he said.

Coogee cafe owner Dave Martin says the event should be ‘embraced’. Picture: Supplied

Mr Martin, who has previously spoken out in defence of the Bronte beach party, sparked debate after sharing his thoughts in a local Facebook community group.

“I’m pissed that as a local, I can’t sit on Coogee Beach grassed area and enjoy sipping a cool, crisp white in the shade on a warm summer arvo. Over-reaction from Randwick Council,” one person said.

Another woman wrote: “I agree. I was there briefly at Bronte for a stickybeak as I was having Christmas up the road. And yes it was crazy full, but fun for those there. It’s like anything, there’ll always be a clean-up. But the [money] these people bring to the local businesses probably outweigh the clean-up costs.”

But one local said she was glad Randwick banned alcohol.

“Honestly I don’t see what you mean by … ‘still affects locals’. Yep, it affects me that I am glad they banned alcohol on the beach and green areas,” she said.

Another said the mess left at Bronte showed a “lack of respect for the place we call home”. “I understand you probably have a financial interest but for those of us who don’t … it’s really sad to see how people treat where we live,” she said.

One pointed out that it was a public beach “and not a festival where organisers are held responsible for cleaning up afterwards”.

“The amount of rubbish left everywhere with zero respect for the beach / grass area is honestly disgusting,” they said.

‘People come from all over the world’ for Christmas at the beach. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone/NCA NewsWire

“Nobody is saying people can’t have a Christmas celebration at the beach but this is next level and not OK. I’m all for an alcohol ban over the Christmas days to reduce the crowds and address the resulting zero f**ks given attitude over the mess they leave behind.”

On Boxing Day, the Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh vowed to make changes after the “insane” Christmas Day party resulted in huge amounts of rubbish left at the picturesque beach.

Bin bags full of rubbish, empty cooler bags, and scores of beer and wine bottles were among the trash seen strewn across the usually idyllic Beach Park.

Despite instituting a “Summer Safe” program, with more police and crowd control deployed, Cr Nemesh said it was “disappointing that despite our best efforts, so much rubbish and waste was still left behind”.

“I was personally at Bronte Beach from 7pm to 12.30am assisting our waste and cleaning team clean up,” he said.

“The majority of the rubbish was cleaned up last night with the beach and park fully cleaned by 9am this morning. I acknowledge our residents’ concerns over the level of rubbish and waste, and we will be making changes so that this does not happen again into the future.”

Piles of rubbish left by revellers sparked a massive clean-up effort. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone/NCA NewsWire

He assured locals that Waverley City Council “is committed to ensuring that whoever comes and visits our stunning beaches and parks treats it with respect”.

One resident took to Facebook to share concerns about glass across the path from Bronte to Bondi, urging others — especially those with dogs — to “please be careful”.

More than 250 additional garbage bins were placed at Bronte Beach by council in anticipation of the enormous event, after the rubbish and huge clean-up effort made headlines last year, but they appeared to have little effect.

On Christmas Day, Cr Nemesh said staff had been out in “full force” from about 8pm Wednesday as clean-up got underway, with a garbage truck also operating throughout the day.

“I have been and will continue to work directly with council staff to ensure the area is cleaned as fast as possible,” Mr Nemesh said in a Facebook post late on Wednesday night.

Those sentiments were echoed by local business owner Fern Coop, who said the council had implemented new measures after last year’s event was slammed by locals.

“[More than] 250 extra bins and a lot more council workers in the area as we speak cleaning the rubbish. Huge efforts from the council,” Ms Coop said on Christmas Day.

By 8am on Boxing Day, the site was clean with Cr Nemesh praising staff for “working through the night to get this done”.

Some locals praised the event, commenting “it was wonderful to see so many people enjoying themselves”.

However, the extra measures implemented by Waverley City Council garnered backlash from some residents online, who slammed the cost of the event to ratepayers.

“Who paid for this? Probably us ratepayers,” one commenter said.

“Next time charge each person $20 for the clean up. That’s a cheap day out at an amazing beach.”

— with NCA NewsWire

Originally published as ‘Nanny state’: Cafe owner defends Christmas beach bash as mayor vows ‘never again’