Some of the flashiest vehicles travelling the roads of this laid-back, subtropical Australian city are owned by "tradies" - carpenters, builders, electricians and plumbers - whose salaries sometimes rival those of lawyers and doctors. In their shiny new "utes", they have been indirect beneficiaries of a China-fuelled mining boom, with the rising salaries of those in mining-related jobs buoying house construction and renovation in the city, the capital of the state of Queensland. And if the tradies tire of life in the city there is often bigger money awaiting them at the various mining projects dotted around the state, where even truck drivers command six-figure salaries. Annual exports to the mainland from Queensland - a resource-rich state of 4.6 million people - have skyrocketed from A$1 billion (HK$7.1 billion) to A$9.3 billion over the past decade, making it the state's biggest trading partner. Almost half of all exports are mining commodities, including coal and minerals. But while Brisbane - a city of two million on the banks of a flood-prone river - is preparing to host the G20 Summit this November, others are worried whether the reliance on Chinese and other foreign mining trade and investment is a poisoned chalice for Queensland, economically and environmentally. Chinese investment in the Australian mining sector this year is set to reach the highest level since 2011, when the mainland poured in A$11.7 billion. Major mainland investments in recent years in Queensland include Yanzhou Coal's A$3.5 billion purchase of Felix Resources in 2009 and CNOOC's agreement with BG Group to invest A$1.93 billion in the QCLNG gas project in 2012. In May, Guangdong Rising Assets Management offered A$1.46 billion for Brisbane-based miner Pan-Aust. There are now fears the resources boom is causing a form of "Dutch disease" for Australia's northernmost state, which boasts of its links to Asia. The phrase derives from the discovery of huge oil reserves in the North Sea in the 1960s that reduced productivity in non-oil producing sectors of the Netherlands' economy. In Queensland, the mining boom has meant that while some are getting rich, the great majority are no better off. There also is rising concern poorly regulated mining activities are causing environmental damage to the state's rich agricultural land. Laura Eadie, a research director at Sydney's Centre for Policy Development, warns that there are dangers for resource-rich states such as Queensland in relying too heavily on mining. With the mining boom now appearing to be tapering off, "things could get tough", she says. Even in good times, the benefits of mining were limited. Despite the mining booms of the past, Queensland's household incomes have remained below the national average, according to the Centre for Policy Development's recent report on the Queensland mining sector titled "All Boom, No Benefit". There is very little going to boost local employment near the mines Laura Eadie, researcher Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show mining workers earn on average twice as much as those in other industries such as accommodation and retail. But Eadie points out that mining only employs 3.2 per cent of the workforce. "It is usually young people who benefit the most [from mining] as they are willing to do the 10-day shifts to pay off the mortgage a bit quicker," Eadie says. "There is very little going to boost local employment near the mines. If you are not going to have long-term jobs [in the local community] what happens when the boom is over?" The spending power of cashed-up mine workers has generally hurt the more economically vulnerable as the cost of food and other necessities has surged during the boom. In the central Queensland city of Gladstone, the local showgrounds became a tent city for the homeless two years ago as an influx of resource workers drove up the price of rental homes, according to a report by church welfare group UnitingCare. Gladstone is a centre for liquid natural gas companies, including Santos which is partnering with Chinese and Korean firms. Chinese investment in the Queensland gas industry has exceeded A$7 billion. The top dollar being paid for manual labour on mining and gas production projects means even professionally trained people are attracted to the work, depriving other industries of skilled workers. "A truck driver can earn A$200,000 out in the mines," says one Brisbane-based lawyer, who is looking at throwing in his white-collar job to look for work in the mines. "Why would I stay in this job when I can earn that sort of money out there?" Eadie warns that China may not always be the goose that lays the golden egg for Queensland. With the mainland slowly diversifying from heavy industry, demand for commodities such as coal and iron ore will eventually plateau. "Queensland therefore also will have to diversify," she adds. She argues there should be greater efforts to strengthen other industries such as agriculture and tourism. Queensland's Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jeff Seeney counters that mining projects, including China's multibillion-dollar investments, contribute to overall economic growth. Seeney says mining projects encourage "the development of industry clusters such as mining engineering, mine management and commodity transport". "A share of royalties earned from resource industry activities in regional Queensland is being given back to communities," Seeney adds. He argues mining projects are subject to extensive conditions to address potential environmental and social issues. However, there is rising concern that expanding mining activities could be threatening sensitive tourism areas and farming. Drew Hutton, a well-known Australian environmentalist and president of the anti-mining group Lock the Gate Alliance, says 90 per cent of Queenslanders were suffering because of the boom, either financially or through loss of quality of life. He says the environmental impact of mining in rural areas is causing a backlash among farmers and land owners, concerned about damage to agricultural land and contamination of water supplies. Of particular concern is coal seam gas mining, which has the potential to release dangerous gases into the water supply and the air. "In the small western Queensland town of Wallumbilla, one of the town's two water bores has failed due to gas seeping into the water supply [due to mining]," Hutton says. "If the other one fails, the town will have no water." Two years ago a coal seam gas mining venture between PetroChina and Dutch Shell faced a 10-day blockade from landholders when the company attempted to move drilling equipment into picturesque farming land south of Brisbane. Last month, a similar blockade of a coal mining venture in New South Wales resulted in the suspension of the mining company's licence. Hutton fears Queensland's powerful mining lobby has a disproportionate influence over government policy. This has meant that environmental studies into planned mining projects have been inadequate. BUYING BINGE Major Chinese investments in Queensland’s mining sector 2009:Yanzhou Coal buys Felix Resources for A$3.5 billion 2011:Dadi Engineering Development (Group) completes a A$24 million investment in MetroCoal 2012:CNOOC agrees to invest A$1.93 billion in Gladstone liquefied natural gas project 2012:Yanzhou Coal acquires Gloucester Coal for A$2.05 billion 2013:U&D Mining buys Endocoal for A$71million 2014:Boa Steel Resources and Australian partner propose acquisition of Aquila Resources for A$1.14 billion 2014:Guangdong Rising Asset Management offers A$1.46 billion for gold and copper producer Pan-Aust SOURCE: QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT