Why gold diggers are dying and what we can do about it

Posted On June 13, 2021

A gold digging family is living a lonely life in the remote Goldfields of Queensland.

The Goldfields are an area of Australia known for its high levels of pollution.

But now, with the mining boom, the region is suffering.

“We’re just one generation away from a situation where the whole community is on the verge of extinction,” said Lisa Wigglesworth, a Goldfields resident and gold digressor.

Goldfields residents have been told by authorities to stop digging for gold and it’s not just their own family members.

They have also been told to move their property to a new community or even just to live elsewhere.

A Goldfields digger’s parents say they are struggling to cope with the pollution and it has left them feeling isolated.

Lisa and her husband Mark Wiggling have been digging gold for about 15 years.

It’s been a tough and lonely time.

We were just one of a small number of diggers who worked in the Goldfields when it was first developed.

Mark and I dig and we’re very, very happy with the gold we’ve found.

But I know that it won’t be long before the community dies off because the mines will soon close.

As a Goldfield resident, Lisa says the diggers have to be prepared for the death of their own families.

People have to have their property, they have to move, they’ve got to relocate.

And it’s going to be very difficult.

When it comes to the environmental impact, Goldfields residents say it will be devastating.

With the mining industry now being banned in Queensland, the local community has no other option than to dig.

That’s where Lisa and her family have found themselves.

She said the Goldfield diggers’ work is their life.

I don’t think there’s any other way to go about it.

Topics:environment,environmental-impact,mining-industry,environment,coalition-and-politics,mining,environment-management,environmentAL,goldfields-4870,brisbane-4000,qld,brisbanon-4820,perth-6000,lawna-5040,yalumbra-4960,burtons-4880,qantas-4050,gwigglesmore-4730,curtis-bennett-4032,parramatta-2450,vicsource CBS News