Billionaire Charged After Asbestos Mulch Discovered in 79 Locations Around Sydney

Three companies and a businessman will attend a directions hearing in the new year after a massive investigation revealed asbestos in park and school mulch.

Fencing and warning tape seen around playground equipment at a park where asbestos has been found at Hosken Reserve in Coburg North, Melbourne, Australia, on April 5, 2024. AAP Image/Joel Carrett

The New South Wales (NSW) Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a suite of prosecutions against three companies and one individual after mulch containing asbestos was found at 79 locations across Sydney.

An investigation was launched after bonded asbestos was discovered in mulch at Rozelle Parklands—a multi-purpose open space in Sydney’s Inner West favourited by picnickers and cyclists.