SYDNEY – A move by politicians to ban topless bathing on one of Australia’s most iconic beaches, Bondi, is meeting local resistance.

Sally Betts, mayor of the local council area which includes Bondi beach, said she was horrified by moves by state politicians to outlaw women from sunbathing topless on beaches in New South Wales.

The ban-the-boobs drive is being led by Reverend Fred Nile, who belongs to the Christian Democrat Party.

"We've got alcohol-related violence, we've got under-age drinking and anti-social behaviour in the public domain - those are really important issues," Betts told Macquarie Radio.

"If Reverend Nile really wants to help people he should focus on those issues."

The mayor said if topless sunbathing was a problem, she would have heard about it, she said.

"Nobody has complained to me about topless (women)," she told AAP.

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