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Claims Dreamworld ride 'not fit for service' in released report owners tried to stop

Author
Newstalk ZB staff ,
Publish Date
Thu, 27 Oct 2016, 7:00AM
Scenes from the aftermath of the Dreamworld accident (File).

Claims Dreamworld ride 'not fit for service' in released report owners tried to stop

Author
Newstalk ZB staff ,
Publish Date
Thu, 27 Oct 2016, 7:00AM

UPDATED 12.52pm Rust, tape, cracks and a claim rides were "not fit for service" are detailed in 143 pages of documents Dreamworld did not want to release.

LISTEN ABOVE: Canterbury University associate professor of marketing Ekant Veer spoke to Rachel Smalley

The Park's owner, Ardent Leisure, sought to stop the release of the information to the Australian Workers Union.

It includes a report the Thunder River Rapids ride on which four people died was "not fit for service".

However, in July, the Queensland Information Commissioner ordered Dreamworld to release the documents.

The Australian reports they include details of more than 12 complaints, injury reports and maintenance concerns from 2010 to 2016.

Dreamworld insists the Thunder River Rapids ride had passed maintenance testing just four weeks ago.

The theme park has issued a statement saying external engineers assessed the ride - and it met all safety requirements.

Dreamworld could face up to a $3 million fine and personal liability charges for its directors, if the park is found to have been negligent.

Compensation lawyer Alison Barrett said cases like this are generally not freak accidents.

"These aren't acts of God - there are generally events that happen in the lead up to something like this. What that tends to reveal is poor safety and a lax attitude towards maintenance."

Dreamworld re-opens tomorrow for a memorial day, and it's understood it will remain open.

Canterbury University associate professor of marketing Ekant Veer said if people think the park isn't safe, they simply won't go.

"Theme parks are built on the premise that they're meant to be a bit scary, but they have to be safe," Mr Veer said.

"If they break that premise, then the perception that there isn't safety means people won't attend, and will look for other places to entertain themselves.

"It will be very difficult to rebound from that."

Mr Veer said it didn't take much for trust to be completely broken: "Especially because we're talking about a place where you take your kids.

"A lot of parents out there will be starting to think it's just not worth it, it's too dangerous, even if the investigation finds it was a freak accident and there's nothing that Dreamworld could have done to prevent or foresee... People will still have the perception that this is not a safe place to go."

He said the repercussions of the disaster would be difficult for all theme parks in the future.

"They're in a really difficult position, because if it turns out to be a random event that they couldn't have foreseen, then they're completely absolved from blame.

"But it doesn't make people feel safe, because that sort of thing could happen with any theme park," Veer said.

"If they find out it's human error, they will look like they're trying pass on the blame to someone else.

Mr Veer told Rachel Smalley the only way to rebuild trust is to accept responsibility for what happened, and ensure it never happens again.

"But doing that also inherently puts you at risk because people are going to say you're not trustworthy. You have to say we are to blame but we can still be trusted."

Mr Veer said shares in Dreamworld have plummeted because it's such a difficult paradox to try and overcome.

ABC reporter Michael Rowland told Mike Hosking that the park would likely remain open from tomorrow.

"[Dreamworld] would've made it clear otherwise in their statement that it was going to be a one-off so we are working on the very firm assumption that this park is now reopened for good."

Mr Rowland said the company's AGM is taking place today in Sydney, where the focus will be on CEO Deborah Thomas.

"It'll be her first opportunity to speak publicly about the tragedy at Dreamworld. Also there's a previously scheduled vote in front of shareholders to grant Ms Thomas a $900,000 bonus."

The company says that motion will still be put to shareholders.

Meanwhile hundreds of people have held a candlelight vigil outside Dreamworld to remember the four people killed there.

It came after hundreds of others laid flowers outside the theme park's gates across yesterday.

A US theme park has reopened its river rapids ride - having shut it down as a precaution after the tragedy at Dreamworld.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay decided to temporarily close its Congo River Rapids that same day - citing the safety of its guests and employees as its top priority.

A spokesperson for the Florida park says a review was carried out despite the Congo River Rapids having a different manufacturer and design to Dreamworld's Thunder River Rapids. 

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