The state of Victoria outlaws streaking

The state of Victoria has specifically outlawed mooning and streaking as part of a wider overhaul of the criminal code. Photo / 123RF

Exposing your bare buttocks in public has been declared illegal in parts of Australia.

The state of Victoria has specifically outlawed mooning and streaking as part of a wider overhaul of the criminal code.

The offences were previously punishable as indecent or offensive exposure, but have now been explicitly listed under updated legislation. First-time offenders could face a two month jail sentence, while repeat offenders could be imprisoned for up to six months.

The legislation also outlaws singing "an obscene song or ballad".

Justifying the changes, Martin Pakula, Victoria's Attorney-General, said: "I don't want to ruin anyone's fun".

He added: "We don't want a situation where someone who might streak at the cricket is funnelled into the same category as someone who might jump out in front of a 13-year-old girl and flash. They are very different types of offences and the legislation for the first time makes that clear ... Sexual exposure is of course a much more serious offence."

Lucy Valentine, an Australian writer, tweeted that it showed a "nanny state gone too bloody far", joking that mooning and streaking were "two of the most essential acts of civil disobedience".