🇦🇺 Australia’s boomtown curse | 101 East

Australia is blessed with rugged beauty and a wealth of natural resources - including coal, iron, natural gas and gold. Such minerals are powering Australia’s economy to record highs. And as demand from China for more resources grows, new mines continue to open across the country. But critics say there is a dark side to this success story. Mining regions attract transient workers keen to make a quick buck, creating social and environmental problems and a rising crime rate. Mines are also draining Australia’s pool of skilled labour from other industries and driving up wages. 101 East asks: What is the cost of Australia’s mining boom? Here Australian 101 East fixer Sian Gard takes us behind the scenes of the 12-day film shoot with reporter-producer Chan Tau Chou and cameraman Lee Ali. When you travel what is the worst thing that could happen? Some might say missing a flight, others might say you get crammed into the centre seat on a full flight. But when you are part of a film