"Blue Sky Mine" is a song by Australian rock band Midnight Oil released in 1990 as the first single from their album Blue Sky Mining. It peaked at No. 7 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart, No. 8 on the Australian Singles Chart, No. 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on both the BillboardAlbum Rock and Modern Rock charts. It charted the highest in New Zealand, where it reached No. 2 for two weeks in March 1990.
The song was inspired by the experiences of workers at the Wittenoomasbestos mines who contracted various asbestos-related diseases.[1][2][3] The "blue" refers to blue asbestos, and the "sugar refining company" refers to the Colonial Sugar Refining Company Ltd, the owner of the mines.
In January 2018, as part of Triple M's "Ozzest 100", the 'most Australian' songs of all time, "Blue Sky Mine" was ranked number 39.[4]