Yep - old news and definitely not a reaction to the incident, but one wonders whether they could have considered postponing the AGM until the dust had settled. ANYTHING they did, whether it was on the agenda prior to the incident or not would always be regarded by those watching as being reactionary, and it does make it look like they were trying to distance themselves, even though we know already that the change was planned long before this week.

I believe the chairman said during the AGM that they did not feel the meeting should go ahead but it couldn't be moved due to companies regulations.

Annual general meetings must take place within five months of the end its financial year.

They do however have the power to delay votes and Ardent's handling of everything thus far has been nothing short of disastrous.

They should have postponed the vote on Deborah Thomas's ~$800,000 bonus. Even once Ms Thomas bowed to pressure and announced the donation, there have been deliberate and obvious omissions in regards to the longer term share portion of this bonus, which is why this disparity exists between the donated $167,500 amount and the reported ~$800,000 figures.

They shouldn't have been caught out with their claims of being in contact with the families.

They probably should have postponed the vote on the company name change. In this case they either didn't anticipate any backlash prior to going ahead, or they weighed their options and decided that the name change as a footnote in all the bad press is better than reawakening the beast in a few months time with the news.

You can't fault them for being stuck in the unfortunate position of proceeding with the AGM, but they really haven't managed it well.

An interesting read: http://www.afr.com/brand/chanticleer/ardent-leisures-lesson-in-crisis-mismanagement-20161027-gscciq 

27 minutes ago, Richard said:

They do however have the power to delay votes and Ardent's handling of everything thus far has been nothing short of disastrous.

They should have postponed the vote on Deborah Thomas's $860,000 bonus.

The vote on the raise happened by proxy before the AGM was held and before the incident happened.

Edit: oops. I didn't realise someone had posted the same article from a different site 

Edited October 28, 20169 yr by razza1987

8 minutes ago, razza1987 said:

An interesting story:

 

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/ardent-has-failed-at-every-step-over-the-dreamworld-tragedy--except-deciding-to-reopen-20161027-gscgat.html

*cringes at "Thundering Rapids"*

Dreamworld have had a memorial service at Dreamworld today. Thinking of everyone there right now. If someone on here sees the footage can you please tell me what room they were holding them memorial service in because I don't recognise it.

Also the father of two of the victims has spoken today:

 

 

Edited October 28, 20169 yr by razza1987

44 minutes ago, Kussie said:

The vote on the raise happened by proxy before the AGM was held and before the incident happened.

Proxy votes would not come to effect until the vote is called at the AGM. The AFR article I linked earlier suggests "the chairman does have the power to defer a vote on a particular resolution".

@Richard It's a bit hard to read your article when all I get is this. " You have reached an article available exclusively to subscribers."

 

News.com.au has a free version of the same article on their main page.

likewise the paywalled courier mail article about the dreamworld contractor making jokes about the incident can also be found on news.com.au for free.

Edited October 28, 20169 yr by AlexB
changed employee to contractor

Why do the parents, in this case parent, have to front the media like that?

 

He handled it incredibly well though.

Paywall bait and switch... I guess the AFR piece was free when I accessed it via Google News but is paid if you follow a direct link. 

38 minutes ago, mission said:

Why do the parents, in this case parent, have to front the media like that?

 

He handled it incredibly well though.

I honestly have no idea how he made it through that speech. I was almost in tears. My guess is their lawyer advised them that if they gave the press what they wanted now eg a statement then the media wouldn't hound them trying to get one so it's better for them if it is on their own terms. Just my guess 

6 minutes ago, razza1987 said:

I honestly have no idea how he made it through that speech. I was almost in tears. My guess is their lawyer advised them that if they gave the press what they wanted now eg a statement then the media wouldn't hound them trying to get one so it's better for them if it is on their own terms. Just my guess 

Yeah, I'd say you're right.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has come out and said the park should open only when the families of the deceased are ready.

What about the hundreds of families being affected while there is no work.

Roads open merely hours after a fatal accident etc.

I don't mean to be disrespectful but the best way forward is to move forward instead of dwelling on something that cannot be undone. 

Edited October 28, 20169 yr by andrewt92

I wonder if Tommy Boy would still be saying the same thing if one of the families said that they'd never be ready and demand the whole place shut for good.

Ridiculous statement. The park should open as quickly as they can, whilst having regard to the ongoing investigation, the sensitivities of the situation and any legal and compliance obligations. Hundreds of staff out of work, thousands of ticket holding guests... as we've heard, it was recommended that 'getting back to business as usual' was the best thing that they could do.

it is the same for anyone involved in a critical incident - acknowledge the event, but get back to normal routine as soon as possible. The longer that takes, the more everyone has to dwell, and the greater the impact the event has.

As a former sufferer of critical incident stress i've seen what dwelling, and lack of regular routine can do to your mind. it isn't pleasant, so I understand perfectly why the consultants have recommended a quick reopening.

11 minutes ago, andrewt92 said:

Roads open merely hours after a fatal accident etc.

Not if the design, maintenance or operation of the road was a key factor in the accident.

33 minutes ago, Richard said:

Not if the design, maintenance or operation of the road was a key factor in the accident.

Quite true, although as in this situation that is often not known immediately.

the difference being vital infrastructure that, up until the incident - had no issues - can continue to be used unless immediate, or subsequent adverse findings reveal faults. You can't just shut down a road 'in case' it was the cause, unless you have good indications it was.

A pleasure activity - something people don't NEED - doesn't need to open until it has been cleared, especially where there is any doubt as to the activity safety... for the same reason Rocky Hollow was shut down because some dildo can't remain seated....

Simply, it's NEED vs. WANT.

this incident is just one of those OUT OF THE BLUE SHOCKING MOMENTS

and its going to be a long time before it becomes one of those oh year remember when moments for me

Edited October 28, 20169 yr by JeffreyMoore

2 hours ago, razza1987 said:

If someone on here sees the footage can you please tell me what room they were holding them memorial service in because I don't recognise it.

It is in the undercover walkway between the Main Street fountain & The Claw.

3 hours ago, Tim Dasco said:

I believe the chairman said during the AGM that they did not feel the meeting should go ahead but it couldn't be moved due to companies regulations.

His exact quote from the transcript was:

Quote

Unfortunately, this is a statutory meeting and in accordance with the constitution of the Company we are required to convene the meeting as planned.

If anyone wants to check to be absolutely sure of the Chairman's powers to defer votes, here is Ardent Leisure's company constitution.

I feel like it is a very rude thing to change your name after this terrible accident happened. Yes I know they have been thinking about it the last few weeks but this could have just made it tick!

They could be trying to hide this accident for in the long run so people forget what happened there, and which company ran Dreamworld at the time. And again yes by that last sentence I mean When they think of the company who owned Dreamworld when it happened, they will go Ardent Lesiure instead of Main Event.

So my opnion is they really shouldn't change there name.

Hopefully they don't sell Dreamworld to someone else as they have been running Dreamworld really well. There has been numerous great upgrades that they have made during their ownership.

Such as, The Moto coaster (VR) ,Wipeout Upgrade?, Hotwheels Sidewinder, Tailspin?, Tiger Island and heaps of upgrades on food and shop outlets.

If they continue maintaining the park up to these standards they will have a great park set up for them. Maybe throw in a couple new rollercoasters and rides two ? 

Anyway That was my 2 cents so catch ya later

43 minutes ago, Jamberoo Fan said:

If anyone wants to check to be absolutely sure of the Chairman's powers to defer votes, here is Ardent Leisure's company constitution.

If you have read it can you please just sum it us for us.   I am taking my wife out for a hot date tonight and I need get my bling on.  I'm going down to MW tomorrow to check the new coaster and hopefully find something new we can all talk about besides this.

Edited October 28, 20169 yr by YLFATEEKS

@Bailz as mentioned earlier, proxy (absent) voting for motions at the AGM began weeks ago, they didn't just decide to vote on it yesterday and the format, structure and outcomes of a AGM are fairly tightly bound by corporation law

But what I'm saying is they might not have been sure if they should change it. But after this as happened, they are like quick let's change it. @Brad2912