Chief executive of Dreamworld operators Ardent Leisure, Deborah Thomas, has been forced to defend her actions on live TV after two of the victims' family interrupted a press conference with a furious text message.
Ms Thomas fronted media in Sydney with other Ardent executives after the theme park owner's annual general meeting, where she said the company was making contact with the families affected by Tuesday's tragedy.
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Dreamworld staff 'shattered'
Ardent board members front the media after the deaths of four people at the company's Gold Coast theme park.
She said Ardent had made contact with the family of Kim Dorsett, whose two children Kate Goodchild, 32, and Luke Dorsett, 35, were among the four killed on the Thunder River Rapids ride.
"We've reached out to the families and we've finally made contact with the Dorsett family and we are talking with them today about how we may assist," Ms Thomas said.
Channel 10 reporter Melinda Nucifora then told Ms Thomas that the Dorsett family were watching the media conference live and had sent a text message saying they were "furious at suggestions that support had been offered to them".
"They say that they've had no direct contact whatsoever, no-one's even reached out to them," Nucifora said. "They've even sent me her mobile phone number, saying, 'can someone please call her?' Is this true?"
Ms Thomas then clarified her comment saying she had not spoken with the family directly because she "didn't know how to contact them".
"I will not call her now in front of the media, but I am very happy to call her very soon after this meeting. In fact, I would be very glad to call her very soon after this meeting," she said.
A visibly emotional Ms Thomas then concluded the media conference by addressing the Dorsett family directly.
"Did you say that the Dorsett family were watching?" Ms Thomas asked. "Then I would like to say to Mrs Dorsett that my sincere sympathies for what you must be going through.
"And on behalf of the staff and management at Ardent and Dreamworld, that our hearts and our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this difficult time. And I will be calling you to see what assistance we can offer you."
Outgoing Ardent Leisure chairman Neil Balnaves also defended the decision to reopen the theme park on Friday with a "memorial day" in which proceeds would be donated to the Australian Red Cross.
Dreamworld will reopen for business as usual on Saturday, although the area around the ride where the tragedy occurred will remain completely closed off for "many, many months" while the incident is being investigated.
Mr Balnaves said the question of whether to reopen the park had been the subject of a "lot of deliberation" over the past 24 hours but the decision to reopen on Friday came after discussions with counsellors and psychologists.
"The advice we have ... it is better that people get back to work and basically get together with their comrades and talk and deal with this issue rather than [be] concerned about their jobs, and they're sitting at home in isolation," he said.
"At some point the park will open. And it's driven by the utmost respect for the families and the deaths, and it will open again on Saturday to basically repair the damage with a lot of our people as well.
"We can't return the four lives."