Fans with tickets to Taylor Swift’s long-awaited concert in Sydney are holding their breath as the venue will be tested for asbestos.
Hundreds of thousands of the pop superstar’s fans will flock to Sydney Olympic Park next week for the Australian leg of his Eras Tour, considered one of the biggest concert tours of all time.
But an asbestos scare in New South Wales has prompted Sydney Olympic Park authorities to confirm they will test mulch used on a median strip on a divided highway at the complex.
This is due to widespread contamination of garden mulch across the state.
Mulch at Sydney Olympic Park was confirmed to have come from a supply chain currently under investigation.
Taylor Swift fans with tickets to her Sydney shows are holding their breath after authorities confirmed the venue would be tested for asbestos.
Hundreds of thousands of fans are expected to descend on Sydney Olympic Park next week.
NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said authorities were investigating the mulch and an initial test found no asbestos, but a backup test was being carried out as a precaution.
“We are testing samples but we can still remove the mulch and remediate it in time to get Taylor Swift up and running,” Ms Sharpe said.
“This won’t stop Taylor Swift from performing in Sydney.”
Go on The New South Wales Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a criminal investigation on Friday A study would be carried out to determine whether foul play was involved in asbestos contamination of garden mulch used across Sydney.
More than 70 gardens and parks are being tested across the city.
Asbestos has been found in multiple locations across the state, including several schools.
There have been 25 confirmed locations containing the deadly material, with St John of God Hospital in North Richmond, Kellyville Woolworths and a Transport for NSW park in Wiley Park added to the list of confirmed contamination sites.
Several schools have also been identified for precautionary testing.
Mulch supplier Greenlife Resource Recovery Facility (GRRF), based in south-west Sydney, recycles wooden pallets into the garden product that was linked to the material found at multiple contaminated sites.
Taylor Swift’s concert in Sydney will go ahead as planned, and New South Wales Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said the affected sites could be remediated in time for next week’s concert.
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But GRRF lawyer Ross Fox said a test of the remaining stock of mulch at the operations center returned a negative result. The EPA visited its operations center and inspected the remaining stockpiles of mulch.
Taylor Swift will perform her first show tonight at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Victoria, performing her three-and-a-half-hour setlist each night until Sunday.
She will then fly to Sydney next week for a four-night trip from February 23-26.
The pop singer spent last weekend in the United States, traveling the world to see her boyfriend Travis Kelce during the Super Bowl.
– Additional reporting by Madeleine Achenza
