Australia, whose abundant metals and minerals resources helped propel it to become one of the stable economies to withstand any rollercoaster financial crisis in the past years, has been found to be unfortunately getting sicker because of the environmental hazards brought about by mining these very resources.

An investigative report over the weekend by The Sunday Times said that a number of mining firms in Western Australia remained unscathed despite evidences pointing to environmental pollution caused by their mines.

According to the report, Keiran McNamara, Department of Environment director-general, in documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws, revealed that the Gidji Roaster, a plant which processes ore from Kalgoorlie's Super Pit, is one of the world's worst mercury polluters.

The plant's mercury and sulphur dioxide emissions, Mr McNamara said, "were so great the plant would not be allowed in most other Australian states or other developed countries."

Unfortunately however, the plant, run by operator KCGM, is still in operation.

Another disturbing environmental hazard implication evidence gathered by The Sunday Times report revealed that residents living near Kalgoorlie's Super Pit are now suffering from asthma and other breathing-related difficulties after its operators failed to prevent dust rich in toxins from blowing over their homes.

Mr McNamara, in 2010, according to the documents, had recommended, among others, to put a ceiling on emissions, install a one- kilometer exclusion zone and build more stations for air monitoring as well as better smokestack filtering at the Gidji Roaster. The recommendations, submitted confidentially to the Environmental Protection Agency, were never adopted.

The state government of Western Australia and its mines and environment departments does not want to hold the polluting miners accountable because they were a "cash cow" and were helping milk both the local and national economy of Australia, Robin Chapple, Greens mining spokesman, said.

"Based on thousands of pieces of documented evidence over a number of decades, both the mines and environment departments and the ministers are involved," Shaun Maddock, former underground miner, said in the report. "That is why it warrants nothing short of a royal commission."