		<div class="wpcnt">
			<div class="wpa">
				<span class="wpa-about">Advertisements</span>
				<div class="u top_amp">
							<amp-ad width="300" height="265"
		 type="pubmine"
		 data-siteid="111265417"
		 data-section="1">
		</amp-ad>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div><p>The company that owns an Australian theme park where four people died on a ride has defended its safety record as police vetoed plans to reopen to the public three days after the tragedy.</p>
<p>Dreamworld on Queensland&#8217;s Gold Coast has been closed as a crime scene since two men and two women died on Tuesday when their raft flipped on the 30-year-old Thunder River Rapids ride.</p>
<p>Neil Balnaves, chairman of Ardent Leisure Group, which owns Dreamworld as well as bowling and billiards centres across Australia, the US and New Zealand, told the company&#8217;s annual general meeting yesterday that the ride had passed its annual safety inspection a month ago.</p>
<p><i>&#8220;That&#8217;s what confounds the tragedy even more for us, because it is &#8230; absolutely surprising that a ride could get through that process and everything up to date,&#8221;</i> he said.</p>
<p><i>&#8220;The park does not take its safety as a casual issue,&#8221;</i> he said, adding that the company uses international experts.</p>
<p>A union has accused management of ignoring safety concerns raised by staff over years.</p>
<p>Dreamworld announced on Wednesday that it planned to reopen with a memorial day and a service for the victims on Friday, with profits donated to charity and activities limited to smaller rides, animal attractions and the water park.</p>
<p>Mr Balnaves told the meeting that operations would now return to normal from Saturday, although the Thunder River Rapids ride would remain closed until a coroner&#8217;s inquiry reported on the cause of the incident.</p>
<p>Dreamworld later said Queensland Police Service had advised that the park could not reopen this week.</p>
<p>Police had warned that investigators were not prepared to risk the crime scene being compromised through the park being reopened too early.</p>
<p>Officers have said the investigation could end in charges of criminal negligence.</p>
<p>Ardent chief executive Deborah Thomas said she planned to contact the victims&#8217; families to express her sympathies and other financial assistance.</p>
<p><i>&#8220;I take my family to Dreamworld. This could have been my family and I completely am sympathetic to what they must be going through,&#8221;</i> she said.</p>
<p>She told the meeting that the revenue lost due to the tragedy would have a <i>&#8220;significant impact&#8221;</i> on Dreamworld profits for the remainder of the fiscal year, which began on July 1.</p>
<p>Mr Balnaves told the meeting he expected the incident would continue to have a financial impact in the next fiscal year, but would not affect company assets other than Dreamworld.</p>
			<div style="padding-bottom:15px;" class="wordads-tag" data-slot-type="belowpost">
				<div id="atatags-dynamic-belowpost-68ed1b71afaaa">
					<script type="text/javascript">
						window.getAdSnippetCallback = function () {
							if ( false === ( window.isWatlV1 ?? false ) ) {
								// Use Aditude scripts.
								window.tudeMappings = window.tudeMappings || [];
								window.tudeMappings.push( {
									divId: 'atatags-dynamic-belowpost-68ed1b71afaaa',
									format: 'belowpost',
								} );
							}
						}

						if ( document.readyState === 'loading' ) {
							document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', window.getAdSnippetCallback );
						} else {
							window.getAdSnippetCallback();
						}
					</script>
				</div>
			</div>
Discover more from London Glossy Post
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
