Chief executive of the company that owns Dreamworld, Deborah Thomas, has pledged to donate her yearly bonus of $167,500 to assist those affected by the accident that saw four park-goers lose their lives on Tuesday afternoon.
Thomas released a statement on Thursday that conveys her personal devastation at the “terrible tragedy”.
“I have been deeply affected and saddened by the tragic deaths of Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett, Roozbeh Araghi, and Cindy Low … in particular the impact of this incident on their children and families,” the Ardent Leisure CEO said.
Thomas, a former Women’s Weekly editor, said the money would be distributed by the Australian Red Cross and channeled solely to assist those affected.
“I will be making a personal donation of $167,500, which comprises my entire cash bonus, to the Australian Red Cross,” she said.
“Red Cross will ensure 100 percent is directed to support people affected by this tragic event.”
Top Comments
The money hasn't been donated to victims' families - it's been donated to Red Cross to distribute as they see fit. And any donation of $2 or more to a registered charity also qualifies as a tax deduction.
$167,000 divided between 4 dead people's families is only approx. $40K each. No amount of money can compensate the families of the victims but $40K each is nothing. The families will probably spend 1000s of dollars on counselling alone. Deborah doesn't mention the $800K share package the shareholders voted to give her.
Ardent Leisure and Deborah Thomas need to cough up cash big time
That's $40k of her personal money, pretty sure they'll get payouts from 'head office' or insurance as well.