Dreamworld management shakeup after damning inquest testimony
Following days of damning testimony, Dreamworld theme park parent Ardent Leisure has announced a sweeping management shakeup.
CEO Craig Davidson resigned last week and Ardent chief experience officer Nicole Noye is stepping in as interim chief executive.
The inquest into the deaths of four riders heard Gold Coast park Dreamworld cut back on repairs and maintenance even after a similar collision occurred.
It also heard from employees who said they had received little or no emergency training.
Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett and Roozi Araghi all died when the Thunder River Rapids Ride malfunctioned and flipped over in 2016.
The inquest heard the ride broke down twice in the hours leading up to the tragedy which should have prompted it to close down for maintenance.
A Dreamworld manager admitted the ride should not have been operating at the time.
In addition, a ride operator didn’t know which button to press to shut down the ride when it became clear a malfunction had occurred.
A worldwide search has been launched for Davidson’s replacement.
Dreamworld faces a long road in regaining public trust again, said Queensland’s Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
"The changes of management are a matter for Dreamworld but it is going to, of course, take time for them to rebuild public confidence," Ms Palaszczuk said.
Ardent chairman Gary Weiss said the company acknowledges much work is required
"Like everyone else, I have been deeply concerned by what has emerged from the inquiry over the past fortnight, and this is why it is important that we listen to the evidence, understand all we can and apply the lessons learned," Weiss said.
After two weeks of testimony, the inquest will resume again in October.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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