Australian Musician Sends a Strong Message About Taylor Swift's Travel Choices
Peter Garrett and Taylor Swift
Peter Garrett, the frontman of the popular Australian rock band Midnight Oil, shared a bold message about Taylor Swift’s travel choices during a recent appearance on a South Australian radio show.
Garrett, 70, is a longtime environmental advocate who once served as Australia’s Minister for Environment & Arts. He was asked to share his opinion about Swift’s private jet use while calling in last week to Bec & Soda for Breakfast, a show with the Adelaide-based 107.1 SAFM.
“She’s not setting a good example,” Garrett said. Though he said “fixing” these kinds of resource uses is ultimately up to the government, people still have the option of making climate-conscious choices.
Related: Why Taylor Swift's Team Is Threatening to Sue a College Student Tracking Her Jet's Movements
However, Garrett acknowledged that Swift isn’t alone in preferring to travel by private jet instead of using a commercial plane—other musicians and celebrities do the same.
“Sometimes people just need to grow up a little and recognize that we do live on a finite planet with finite resources, and we can’t continue exacerbating the climate crisis,” he said.
View the original article to see embedded media.
The “Lover” songstress stirred controversy last week when she reportedly sent her own private jet to pick up her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, so he could join her for a quick getaway in Australia. Swift is in Sydney for a four-date run of her Eras Tour following three shows in Melbourne earlier this month.
The criticism over her private jet use follows earlier questions raised about her travel choices as she jetted around the U.S. to watch Kelce’s NFL games in person and, more recently, traveled by private jet from her Feb. 10 concert in Japan to Las Vegas so that she could cheer the Chiefs on in person at Super Bowl LVIII.
Despite the controversies surrounding her travel and ticket prices—another topic Garrett discussed briefly while on the Adelaide radio show—the musician and former politician acknowledged that Swift has become “a phenomenon.”
“She’s obviously touching a chord with masses of people, particularly people of a certain age group who’ve experienced growing up at a certain time, and what she’s singing and talking about is really ringing true with them,” Garrett said, adding that he “wouldn’t begrudge anyone’s success.”
