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Grieving mother waits for proper Dreamworld apology

Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett and Roozi Araghi died in an accident in October 2016.

Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett and Roozi Araghi died in an accident in October 2016. Photo: Getty

A mother who lost her two children in the Dreamworld ride tragedy is still waiting to hear the words “I’m sorry we did this”.

Kim Dorsett says there was nothing surprising about the scathing coronial findings on Monday that the Gold Coast theme park had failed in all aspects of safety resulting in the deaths of four people.

Queensland’s industrial regulator is now considering whether the park’s owner Ardent Leisure should face criminal charges that could result in fines of up to $3 million and expose individual executives to significant fines or even jail time.

Ms Dorsett lost her daughter Kate Goodchild, son Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi when the Thunder River Rapids ride malfunctioned in October 2016. Mother-of-two Cindy Low also died.

Dreamworld tragedy

Luke Dorsett, his sister Kate Goodchild, his partner Roozi Araghi and Cindy Low died on the River Rapids Ride.

Ms Dorsett says Coroner James McDougall exposed one safety failing after another as he delved into the tragedy

She was unsurprised by the findings.

“It was something that we heard bit by bit, add-on by add-on, every day – that the policies and procedures just weren’t being followed,” she told the Nine Network on Tuesday.

“As the coroner said yesterday they couldn’t be followed because people didn’t know what they were.”

Ms Dorsett said the names of her children and the other two victims must never be forgotten.

For her, every day spent in the inquest, listening to confronting evidence, was a way to give her lost children a voice.

“I always felt that while I was there, they were there. I never want those four people to be forgotten. That’s what this is really about.”

Ms Dorsett said Ardent Leisure was now in “a world of hurt” and it’s up to authorities what happens next, but added: “I don’t think it’s over for them”.

“They have said they’re sorry for the circumstances that we find ourselves in. I have never actually had an apology: ‘Sorry you are now missing three important people out of your lives’, yeah.”

“I have never actually had ‘I’m sorry we did this’.”

Coroner James McDougall has referred Ardent Leisure to the Office of Industrial Relations for possible prosecution under workplace laws.

External engineer, Tom Polley, has also been referred to the Board of Professional Engineers for failing to properly inspect the ride.

All four victims died after being flung into a mechanised conveyor when their raft collided with another and partially flipped after the water pump failed, causing water levels to drop.

The malfunction was the third that day and the fifth in a week, and no automated shutdown function was installed despite recommendations.

Ms Low’s husband Mathew has been scathing towards the theme park operators, saying “Dreamworld was a catastrophe waiting to happen because of their barefaced disregard for safety and maintenance”.

-with AAP

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