Australians pride themselves on their ability to adopt an air of nonchalance towards the outrageous and quirky. But the latest, local version of the reality show Big Brother is disrupting comfort zones with its blatant exhibitionism, and driving a debate over censorship, parental responsibilities and sexual harassment.
A group of MPs - prompted by widespread public condemnation - has already started lobbying the government to strengthen the powers of the regulators to deal with programmes showing content perceived as offensive. The television industry is also under pressure to tighten its code of conduct.
While boorishness and inanity dominate the daily Big Brother shows, the weekly Big Brother Uncut special has had nudity, intimacy, simulated sex, profanity, crude humour, improvised sex toys and groping.
For the uninitiated, Big Brother - now a global phenomenon - involves confining a group of young men and women for weeks on end in a large house fitted with cameras in every conceivable area.
Meanwhile, in the real world, an audience, usually in their 20s and 30s, watches and votes to evict the participants one by one; the sole survivor collects A$665,000 ($3.8 million).
The behaviour in the current Australian series has been so outrageous - or adventurous, depending on your viewpoint - that its critics have dubbed it the most lurid and exhibitionistic ever shown in the country.
The broadcaster, Channel Ten, has steadfastly defended the content of Uncut and refused to schedule it later in the evening - it screens for an hour from 9.30pm every Monday.