In "Mine - Field," Paul Cleary counts the true human and economic costs of Australia's short - term mineral addiction. Australia is in the grip of a bad habit that won't be easy to break. As royalty - hungry governments license breakneck development of our finite mineral resources, people, families, communities and industries are being steamrolled by the mining juggernaut. Politicians consider them expendable victims as they roll out one big mining and gas project after another. High - risk projects are being approved without a full assessment of the long - term consequences. Mining is happening in just about every productive corner of our country. The implications are enormous and beyond the capacity of governments to manage responsibly. Farmers have been worn down, many left with hundreds of coalseam gas wells on their properties, after drawn - out negotiations with miners. A ground - breaking piece of reporting by the author of "Too Much Luck," "Mine - Field" plots the dubious networks created and greased by mining companies to get their projects through and exposes regulatory gaps that must be addressed to avoid an enormous and irreversible cost on society and the environment.