The Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast has defended its safety record in the wake of the deaths of four people on the Thunder River Rapids ride.
“Our rides and slides are checked and tested by our experienced team before the park opens every day,” the company said in a statement released on Thursday. “If it’s not tested, it doesn’t open.”
Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett and Roozi Araghi died when the raft they were in on the Thunder River Rapids ride flipped backwards.
Since the accident the theme park’s safety record has come under scrutiny. It emerged yesterday that 13 Dreamworld rides, including the rapids ride, were deemed “not fit for service” in an inspection four years ago.
The Queensland secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union, Ben Swan, said there had been concerns raised over the past 18 months about maintenance at the park.
“At the time of the incident the park was fully compliant with all required safety certifications,” the company said on Thursday.
Safety of our guests, staff and wildlife is a core value of our business. We welcomed almost 1.8 million people to Dreamworld last financial year and prior to Tuesday there has never been a death at the park due to a ride incident, despite Dreamworld hosting more than 30 million visitors since it opened in 1981.
This is largely due to our robust policies and procedures and our 1,000-plus employees who are totally committed to guest services and guest safety. The importance of safety is inherent in all our operations and decisions at every level of the business.
All our procedures and systems are constantly benchmarked against international best practice and ride manufacturer specifications.
The theme park is due to open again on Friday while the investigation continues into the four deaths. Proceeds of the day will go to the Red Cross.
“Dreamworld has reached out to the families through Queensland,” the statement said. “Our deepest sympathies and heartfelt thoughts remain with the families and loved ones of the victims, the first responders on the scene, guests who were at the park and Dreamworld staff.”
Dreamworld’s owner, Ardent Leisure, was holding its AGM in Sydney on Thursday, the day after its share price fell 22%.
