Complaining of bad behaviour and high costs, many Australians are crying'enough' to the steady stream of under-30s who pour in from Ireland andaround the world. Others argue that backpackers contribute plenty of cash to the economy. John Collins reports

Australia has long been a haven for Irish backpackers on the lookout for cheap accommodation, adventure activities and casual labour. The easy availability of one-year working visas for the under-30s, the long history of links between the two countries, the natural wonders of the outback, and locals that generally have as sunny a disposition as the climate have combined to attract thousands of budget travellers each year.

But recent rumblings down under indicate not everyone is so keen on this annual influx of budget-minded tourists.

Dumping clapped out cars, public urination, late-night noise and street fighting are just some of the allegations levelled at backpackers, particularly in Sydney and other popular destinations in New South Wales. Local councils responsible for popular backpacker destinations are complaining about the cost of cleaning up after them, policing unlicensed accommodation, and dealing with the nuisance to local residents.

Australian employers are also showing signs of turning against their traditional source of casual labour. Job ads in the Sydney Morning Herald and other papers have tag lines such as "No travellers/time wasters please". A recent search of mycareer.com.au, a recruitment website, threw up a range of positions such as store managers, waiters and office admin staff, for which travellers were precluded from applying.

Residents in Byron Bay, a town of 30,000 residents on New South Wales's north coast which sees almost two million visitors a year, feel their town is under siege by tourism. They have discussed a bed tax for overnight visitors and a pass costing 28 Australian dollars (€15.70) for day-trippers, so that their cash-strapped council can deal with the influx. Even during winter, Byron Bay suffers traffic jams, and parking in the town is at a premium.

Bondi Beach and the surrounding eastern suburbs are traditional choices for backpackers to base themselves in Sydney. Bondi is regularly cited as one of the top beaches in the world. But according to Cllr Peter Moscatt, the tourism infrastructure at Bondi was set up before the second World War. He argues that problems with backpackers occur because there is no infrastructure to deal with them. "There isn't even a tourist information centre at Bondi Beach, so new arrivals are almost forced into illegal places to stay."

Unscrupulous landlords create unofficial accommodation by cramming beds into old houses, then rent them out to backpackers who don't ask questions about licensing or safety standards once the price is right. The Bondi Tourism Task Force estimates that between $10 million and $12 million leaks into the unlicensed accommodation sector in Bondi each year.

Moscatt's solution is to impose a system whereby tax generated by tourists can be funnelled back into local services. He points to the French model of bed taxes which go to the local tourism industry. "We don't want to discourage these travellers, but a whole lot of stuff needs to be in place to handle them."

Not surprisingly, those who work in the industry don't believe local councils are as backpacker-friendly as they should be.

"If you want to drive tourists away, bed taxes are a good way to do it," says Lance Batty, spokesperson for the New South Wales Backpacker Operators Association. "Development applications for hostels in Bondi are constantly being knocked back. Politically, it's not good for them to approve them, but they are just increasing problems in the long term." Batty undermines his argument somewhat by then admitting he wouldn't be impressed to have backpackers living beside his own home.

Local councils argue that most of the revenue from tourists makes its way into the state and federal coffers, but it is local rate payers who pay to provide services for them.

According to Mayor Jean Hay of Manly, a popular tourist destination on Sydney's north shore, it costs $800 for her council to remove an abandoned car. Manly has had a development control plan for a number of years which outlines in detail what requirements need to be met by hostel operators. She says the local requirements are much more stringent than those imposed by the state. "There were a number of illegal operations in Manly, and this was a way of cracking down on them and ensuring backpacker accommodation was confined to the designated tourist area." A number of other councils around Australia are currently considering controls on backpackers.

Community papers in Australia are regularly filled with correspondence complaining about backpackers. Late-night parties, public drunkenness and use of the street as a toilet are among the complaints.

"Every single incident in certain parts of Sydney is now automatically blamed on overseas backpackers, as if young Aussies don't have parties or make noise on a Friday night," says Alan Collingwood, managing director of Travellers Contact Point, which provides a range of employment and accommodation services to backpackers.

Det Insp Frank Giardano, crime manager for the Eastern Beaches Command, agrees that backpackers have an unjustified reputation. "Coogee and other areas are continual hot-spots for anti-social behaviour.There is nothing specific to say backpackers are targeted as victims or the cause of these problems. They do at times become a bit rowdy, but then they go on their merry way."

Much of the recent coverage of backpackers in Australia has unfortunately been in relation to three appalling high-profile incidents: the murder of English backpacker Caroline Stuttle in Bundaberg, Queensland in April; the trial of Robert Paul Long for the Childers Backpacker fire; and last year's murder of Peter Falconio in the Northern Territory. All have tarnished Australia's safe reputation abroad. The northern state of Queensland has suffered most in recent international media reports, but the state government has said it believes any impact on its $500 million backpacker industry is likely to be short-lived.

"It's the real world out there, and backpackers are real people - they are realistic about the dangers," says Stephen Welsh, chairman of the Queensland Backpackers Association. "Walking up and down the east coast, you are as safe as anywhere on the planet. There is the odd mugging and the odd horrendous crime, but it has zero impact on visitation."

Still, popular guidebooks warn travellers of possible dangers and annoyances in Australia. In the latest edition of its Queensland guide, Melbourne-based Lonely Planet suggests that some Queenslanders are likely to dish out racial abuse to non-white travellers. "Mostly it's low-level stuff, but travellers have reported threats of violence in some areas; if you feel threatened in a rural pub, walk away and spend your tourist dollars somewhere more deserving."

"People need to look at the positives and negatives and weigh them up," says Welsh. "The negatives are mostly in their own minds. Just because one in 200 gets pissed and causes a problem, that doesn't make backpackers any worse than any other group of people."