Australian policies were attacked at home by Australian mining watchdog, the Mineral Policy Institute (MPI). "Australia stands condemned over its overseas mining record," said MPI director, Geoff Evans. "The Esmeralda disaster is only the latest in a long and sorry history for Australian mining companies." Evans urged Australia's government to enforce regulations that should be mandatory and independently monitored, adding that if countries break them at home or abroad, they should be subject to sanction. The Existing Minerals Council of Australia's Voluntary Code for Environmental Management for Australian mining companies lacks sanctions if it is breached. And Esmeralda is not even a signatory. On March 2, a protest demonstration in front of the Australian Embassy in Brussels demanded full public information about the disaster, financial compensation for damages and a guarantee that Australian companies stick to environmental legislation abroad. "We want to stop Western companies from using our environment in Central and Eastern Europe as dumping grounds for hazardous technologies," said Balazs Vizi from Hungarian Student Association LEMDE. LEMDE and Friends of the Earth Europe organized the event.

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