A BAR is fighting back after losing its bid to bring in topless waitresses because it was “not in the public interest.”

The Sixty30 at the Merriwa Tavern in Western Australia applied to change its licensing conditions to allow “waitresses, barmaids and/or adult performers to expose their breasts and/or wear lingerie underwear exposing a significant portion of their buttocks” in the venue’s dining room area.

It obtained statements of support from 38 patrons for the proposal to provide “immodest” entertainment at the bar on Thursday-Saturday until late and Sundays until 4pm — but the liquor commission refused after dozens of complaints.

Community groups argued that the area was family friendly with an old people’s home nearby, and campaign groups including Collective Shout said this kind of entertainment was exploitative and harmful to women.

The Commissioner of Police said the flexible hours for the entertainment and lack of advertising permitted would mean families might inadvertently visit the pub with young children.

It was also noted that “the bar had specifically sought out female support for the application”, yet despite this, most of the statements came from men.

In its refusal of the application, the liquor commission wrote: “The evidence fell well short of establishing that the variation of the licence was in the public interest. Whilst ‘Dan the Man’, ‘Show me p***y’, ‘Robbo’, ‘Marshy’, ‘Bob’, ‘Jacko’, ‘Swanny’, ‘Fido’, and others may want to see strippers at the hotel based on their signing of the questionnaire, there is nothing before the Commission that is capable of establishing that the variation of the licence is in the public interest.”

Owner Ian Strover slammed the decision as “ridiculous”, saying he plans to appeal and set up a GoFundMe for the cause. “A lot of my clients are single men in their 30s, 40s and 50s, FIFO workers,” he told news.com.au. “They want to come down for a bit of attention from an attractive lady behind closed doors and leave.

“What’s the difference with going down the beach and seeing women with their tops off?”



He said the public interest question didn’t make sense for a business, and that new applications for adult entertainment were being denied because the “political correctness crew” had more influence than what customers wanted. “They’re clutching at straws,” he added.

Caitlin Roper, from Collective Shout, told news.com.au she could not imagine a scenario where topless waitresses, bartenders or strippers would be in the public interest.

“It’s something that seems to be regarded as part of Aussie culture,” she said. “There are what they call ‘breastaurants’ — not full-on strip clubs, but places where women’s sexualities are somehow used to sell things.

“Sexual trade in women’s bodies impacts gender equality and has an adverse effect on employees. There are studies about oversexualised workplaces and a link to psychological strain.

“Women report increased incidences of sexual harassment and abuse in these areas. It’s normalised.

“We are opposed to any form of sexual commerce or trade using women’s bodies. This idea women are commodities reduces them to objects, and we know the objectification of women is linked to gender violence.”

Have you come into contact with this industry? Share your story with emma.reynolds@news.com.au.