Australia’s mining industry – in which London-listed BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata play leading roles – is propagating a dark underbelly of alcohol-fuelled violence, prostitution and mental health, the first study to examine social impacts of regional mining camps has revealed.
The Queensland University of Technology report claims thousands of men flown in to work at mining sites in Queensland and Western Australia are “catastrophically” denigrating nearby towns and turning them into dangerous crime hot spots.
See http://www.smh.com.au/business/dark-side-of-the-mining-boom-20101206-18mb3.html.
The mining boom is also creating huge economic imbalances within Australia. See Australia’s dangerous economic divide, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/australias-dangerous-economic-divide/article1824987/singlepage/.