Pornographic pizza roundly panned

The shop owners call it clever marketing, the locals call it pornography. The cut-out drawing of a naked woman with a pizza slice covering her nether regions in the window of Pizza Supremo in Murray Bridge, Australia, has had tongues wagging.

But owners Damien Eve, 37, and Sarah Budarick, 35, who have had to remove the artwork after a visit from the police, say they don't know what all the fuss is about. They moved into the Swanport Rd premises earlier this year and proudly displayed the eye-catching piece - painted by Mrs Budarick and entitled "A Slice of Heaven" - above the shop's verandah.

But since then, there have been complaints about the sign, with residents describing it as offensive and even porn.



Gloria Booker, Murray Bridge Council's manager of development and environmental services, said she had received four written complaints and six phone calls about the sign on Pizza Supremo's roof, which is close to a primary school.

"May I remind the council that teen and childhood pregnancy is on the rise and this form of advertising only increases curiosity in children and leaves them vulnerable to exploitation, sexually transmitted diseases and infectations (sic)," one concerned mother wrote.

Advertising Standards Bureau CEO Fiona Jolly said the sign might not violate regulations because of its lack of "graphic nudity", but said an investigation could be launched if the bureau received a formal complaint. "The ASB would look at several things before making a ruling," she said. "That would include whether it's a real person or a cartoon-style image and how real is the representation of nudity?"