Dreamworld was disaster waiting to happen

A BRISBANE lawyer says safety standards are so relaxed and penalties so minimal that companies like Dreamworld become “complacent”.

Mourners at the Dreamworld wall that has become a shrine to those who died. Picture: Richard Gosling

A BRISBANE lawyer has said that companies like Dreamworld are too concerned about their bottom line to worry about safety — and they’ve been allowed to get away with it.

Alison Barrett, from Maurice Blackburn, said standards are now so relaxed and penalties so minimal that firms become “complacent.”

After four people died on a ride at the Gold Coast theme park, the personal injury specialist said company directors needed to be held responsible for what happens on their watch.

“When it’s all about cost-cutting and a focus on the bottom line, safety can take a back seat,” she told news.com.au. “It’s not right and people die.

“That has consequences for loved ones. They suffer the pain for the rest of their life.
“The impacts on a child, relationships break down, we have clients who consider suicide. They are distraught. It is very hard to come back.”

Five years ago, Queensland Workplace Health and Safety used to have 100 or more prosecutions annually, she added. Now it is usually around 20 to 30.

“That’s not a reflection of better safety, it’s them being toothless, companies like Dreamworld not having the fear the stick will come out,” she said.

Floral tributes at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, 3 days after a fatal accident on the river rapids ride. Pic Jono Searle.

Floral tributes at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, 3 days after a fatal accident on the river rapids ride. Pic Jono Searle.

Ms Barrett said there may have been employees at Dreamworld who knew things weren’t right but didn’t feel they can complain without losing their job.

“When any catastrophic event like this happens an investigation generally reveals cost-cutting and a poor attitude to safety, maintenance and staff,” she said. “The question needs to be asked, who’s supposed to spot that?

“The government is promoting the idea of self-regulation, but it’s not working. They’re flouting their own laws. They needed to be held accountable.

“Each state needs an independent commission to scrutinise complaints. The Commonwealth Government has a role to step in on manslaughter law and put in minimum standards so company directors are criminally responsible if people get hurt.”

Ms Barrett noted that the victims were not just those who died and their families but also emergency services and Dreamworld visitors.

General view of the entrance to the Dreamworld Theme Park on the Gold Coast, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2016. Four adults, two men and two women, died when the park's Thunder River Rapids ride malfunctioned on Tuesday. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt) NO ARCHIVING

“It has such a significant impact on so many people,” she said. “I’ve been getting calls from people who’ve seen this stuff. It’s terrible.”

She said Dreamworld staff “talk the talk” but “they’re not doing what they should be doing”, noting that the park’s CEO Craig Davidson had been “defensive” and the CEO of owner Ardent Leisure, Deborah Thomas, had not responded in the right way.

Ms Thomas has come under fire this week after it was revealed she would receive a bonus of $874,000 and for not immediately contacting the families of the deceased. After she was attacked by the angry family of siblings Luke Dorsett and Kate Goodchild for not reaching out to them, she today admitted the company may not have “handled it as well as we could” as she visited the Gold Coast park for a memorial service with staff.

“It’s appalling this bonus was on the table, and that immediately she didn’t get on a plane to the Gold Coast,” said Ms Barrett. “That has consequences.”