Plans for a lesbian affair between two characters on Home and Away have angered some conservative family groups.
Policewoman Charlie Buckton, played by Esther Anderson, will fall for deck hand Joey Collins, played by Kate Bell, as their relationship develops over an intense five weeks, the Herald Sun reports.
The pair will steam up the screens later this month, but the sexual content — which includes "intimate kissing and dancing scenes" — has been criticised as inappropriate for the PG-rated, primetime program.
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"The plot lines that young kids and teenagers should be presented with should be about really authentic relationships that are not just sexualised," Pro-Family Perspectives director Angela Conway was quoted as saying.
But Ms Anderson said kissing another girl was "not that big a deal" and would not shock young viewers.
"You learn pretty much everything at school... I don't think it's like I'm lifting the lid on something they don't already know about," she said.
Psychologist Dr Janet Hall said the lesbian plot was "reflecting society" and presented the opportunity for discussion among teenagers and their families.
"Young audiences are basically aware of the whole gay thing anyway," she was quoted as saying.
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