Radio host suspended for sick Dreamworld joke
Two days after a Dreamworld ride tragically claimed four lives, a Tasmanian radio host has been suspended for making an insensitive joke on air.
Anna Dare, co host of 7HOFM breakfast show, attempted to guess what the ‘secret sound’ was when she made a reference to the Gold Coast disaster that rocked the country.
“It’s not getting stuck in a conveyor belt at a theme park is it? Too soon?” Ms Dare asked her co-host Mick Newell.
“That’s what it sounds like to me when I first heard it… that’s the first thing I thought of,” Ms Dare protested.
Audibly shocked by the comments, Mr Newell sighed and quickly cut to a song.
Dare was promptly taken off air after making the remark and was suspended by the radio station and its parent company Grant Broadcasters.
“The announcer’s remark demonstrated a serious lapse in judgement and we sincerely apologise to our listeners, the broader community and everyone affected by this week’s terrible tragedy,” CEO of Grant Broadcasters, Grant Cameron, said in a statement.
“This was a dreadful mistake and the announcer is devastated at such a lapse.”
The comments caused outrage on social media with commenters branding her "insensitive" and "stupid".
"That is appalling what a stupid thing to say," Tanya Blahut wrote. "Have you thought of those children who are left behind and worse who watched it all happen."
"Too soon? It will always be to soon when people die," Jenny Dove wrote. "But two days really? Should have been fired with no pay."
Only appointed to the role this year, Ms Dare will now undergo training and counselling, while no date has been given as to when or if she will return to air.
“We have dealt with this unfortunate incident as swiftly as possible and will use it to further improve our standards and the training of our on-air staff," Mr Cameron said.
