Swim sisters go surfing in their new Burkinis

Swim sisters go surfing in their new Burkinis

FORMER Labor leader Mark Latham has launched a petition to ban privacy curtains installed at a Sydney public pool to allow Muslim women to swim comfortably.

Mr Latham says the curtains, which were installed by Cumberland Council at Auburn pool so Muslim women can swim without being seen by other pool users, is threatening age-old Australian traditions.

Writing for right-wing online publication The Rebel, Mr Latham said public pools are a “great Australian institution”.

“For many decades, the public swimming pool has been a great Australian institution: affordable, open and full of people mixing together, regardless of their background, race and religion,” he wrote for his petition, Tear Down That Curtain.

“Now, this tradition is under threat.”

He then went on to say that the privacy curtains are discriminating against non-Muslim men.

“For non-Muslim men, the discrimination is twofold: they pay their Council rates, they pay at the pool entry point, but they can’t access the entire pool facility. Public services must be available to all the public.”

If Muslim women are concerned about modesty issues or showing their flesh to men, Mr Latham said they should “take personal responsibility” by wearing a burkini.

The privacy curtains were installed at Auburn pool earlier this year and run around the glass walls of the program pool, where female-only swimming sessions are held for two hours each Sunday.

Auburn Council general manager Malcolm Ryan supported the move.

“There was a very high demand for female-only classes at the aquatic centre before redevelopment to cater for the differing modesty requirements,” he told the Daily Telegraph.

“With the installation of curtains at the program pool, the Auburn Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre is inclusive to the whole community at all times and can cater to any requirement, without it impacting on the rest of the centre.”

The program pool is one of three pools at the complex and is used for rehabilitation or swim classes. The curtain is drawn only during prescribed women’s swimming times.

But Mr Latham still views it as unnecessary segregation, which he believes exacerbates cultural barriers rather than overcomes them.

“Where does it end: putting curtains up on Bondi Beach?” he wrote.

“If multiculturalism in Australia is to succeed, people must mix together, getting to know each other, without religious or racial boundaries.

“In these troubled times, we need Islamic communities to be integrated into Australian society and culture, not segregated along religious lines.”