To suggest that the tragic accident at the Dreamworld amusement park on the Gold Coast on Tuesday has had a visceral impact on people across Australia is no exaggeration. Amusement parks are supposed to trade in fun, laughter and thrills, not in the shock and horror which unfolded on the Thunder River Rapids ride when a raft carrying six people (Kate Goodchild, her daughter Ebony, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi, and Cindy Low and her son Kieran) crashed into an empty raft stopped in front of them.
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The impact occurred not far from where the ride ended, and where members of their families stood waiting. Despite desperate attempts to extricate those trapped under the capsized raft, only the two young children were saved.
Ms Goodchild, her brother Luke and his partner Roozi Araghi lived and worked in Canberra and their deaths have been felt across the city, but most acutely, of course, by their families and loved ones.
Shayne Goodchild eloquently expressed that near overwhelming sense of familial grief and loss in a statement he read on behalf of the Turner, Goodchild and Dorsett families on Friday. In it, Mr Goodchild said that "to say 'this is not just fair' doesn't begin to express our despair".
He expressed condolences to Cindy Low's family before stating that "like everyone else in Australia, we want to know what went wrong. We want to know why our loved ones were taken from us in such horrific circumstances. No one wants those answers more than we do".
Many people are now working on ascertaining what went wrong, although definitive answers may take months to establish. Disturbingly, however, anecdotal evidence has emerged of seeming wrinkles in Dreamworld's approach to maintenance.
Moreover, when Workplace Health and Safety Queensland sought to release a tranche of documents detailing incidents relating to inspections, injuries and maintenance at Dreamworld, the theme park's owner, Ardent Leisure, tried to block their publication.
In a business in which public trust and confidence is critical, it's inconceivable that Ardent Leisure would have neglected safety and maintenance. Indeed, Ardent says the Thunder River Rapids ride passed its annual mechanical and safety checks a month ago. However, the ride is at least 30 years old, enough time for niggling mechanical issues to develop.
Only a thorough investigation will give the bereaved families the answers they deserve. The public, too, requires assurances that this tragedy will not be repeated. Any alleged failings must be investigated and if those responsible for ensuring safety are found negligent, they must be dealt with appropriately.
But now is not the time for finger-pointing. The first priority is to look after those who have lost too much, to assist those families and friends through their grief, and to put in place a clear plan and timeframe that will give them the answers they need to help them make sense of this shocking event.
