An Australian church is trying to stop the proprietors of a nightclub from going ahead with plans to feature nude shows when it opens in a building owned by the church on Friday.

The dean of St David's Anglican Cathedral in Hobart, capital of the southern island state of Tasmania, is upset that the nightclub next door has been handing out flyers promising full frontal nudity when it opens.

The church has served the bar with a notice demanding an undertaking that no such activity takes place, and has threatened legal action if the opening night show goes ahead.

Church dean Reverend Lindsay Stoddart said the nightclub appeared to be in breach of "moral covenants" in the lease which prevent the building from being used for "immoral purposes".

But Players Sports Bar proprietor Colin Latham has vowed it will be full steam ahead with the show, which he said features eight "showgirls".

One of the dancers rejected suggestions they were being exploited, saying she and two others were university students and another was a real estate investor.

"We are making the most of what we have got," biotechnology student and dancer Savannah told the Mercury newspaper.

"We make sure we are always in control of the situation."