38 OHS-WHS
Dreamworld owner Ardent Leisure needs a lesson in managing a crisis
David Beirman Senior Lecturer , Tourism , University of Technology Sydney
Ardent Leisure , the company which owns Dreamworld , has felt the blowtorch of public scrutiny since the Thunder River Rapid ride tragedy , resulting in the deaths of four visitors . In one of the more embarrassing revelations at the press conference the company held , Ardent CEO Deborah Thomas said she had not called the families of victims because Ardent “ didn ’ t know how to contact them ”.
In any crisis event which results in loss of life , making contact with victims and their families should be a top priority . This is one of the “ ten commandments ” in dealing with a crisis event , set out by one of Australia ’ s most respected experts Sandy Hollway .
CEO Deborah Thomas and Ardent Leisure had to admit the company had not contacted victims ’ families . Dean Lewins / AAP
After being chief organiser at the 2000 Sydney Olympics , Hollway has been appointed to a number of positions including overseeing Canberra ’ s recovery from bushfires in 2003 to being in charge of the recovery of North Queensland in 2006 following Cyclone Larry , which devastated much of far North Queensland .
Hollway summarised his approach to recovering after a crisis in a 2007 speech to the APEC ( Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation ) Tourism Forum . It included benchmarks relevant to all tourism businesses and destinations seeking to restore their reputation following a crisis event . He said there should be :
1 . Collaboration between the private sector and the public sector
2 . Dedicated machinery and resources devoted to recovery , within agreed time limits
3 . In the case of destination recovery , all tiers of government should be involved
4 . Rapid response , especially in dealing with traditional and social media
5 . Engagement and support for the affected community , especially victims
6 . Public communications which are centralised , honest and informative
7 . Proper process with planned outcomes
8 . Importance should be placed on people more than budgets
9 . Strategic and contingency planning to get ahead of the curve
10 . A focus on building back better .
GOVLINK » ISSUE 1 2017