Ardent Leisure hit with three charges over 2016 Dreamworld tragedy

Law and justice concept - Themis statue, judge hammer and books. Courtroom.

Theme park operator Ardent Leisure is facing a trio of charges over the Dreamworld tragedy in 2016 that saw four people killed due to a malfunctioning of the Thunder River Rapids ride.

In a statement issued on the Australian Securities Exchange this morning, Ardent Leisure acknowledged the three charges brought against it by prosecutors for Queensland Work Health and Safety in the Brisbane Magistrates Court.

All three charges are Category 2 charges pursuant to section 32 of Queensland Work Health and Safety Act 2011, and each charge carries a maximum penalty of $1.5 million.

“First and foremost, we again express our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of Roozbeh Araghi, Luke Dorsett, Kate Goodchild and Cindy Low for their loss and ongoing suffering, and say sorry to all of the people impacted by this tragedy,” Ardent said.

“There has been considerable change at Dreamworld over the last few years as was acknowledged by the coroner in his report.

“Dreamworld has taken substantive and proactive steps to improve safety across the entire park and continues to enhance existing systems and practices, as well as adopt new ones, as we develop and implement our safety case in accordance with the Queensland government’s new major amusement park safety regulations.

“The new leadership team is committed to continuing to improve and enhance safety systems and practices with the aim of becoming a global industry leader in theme park safety and operations.”

The charges come not long after Ardent was hit with a shareholder class action in connection with the Dreamworld tragedy.


Featured image source: iStock/NiseriN

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