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Dinosaur Festival Continues to Ignore Requests for Refunds

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State Member for Wallsend, Ms Sonia Hornery MP, has called on the Minister for Fair Trading to step up and take action against Dinosaur Festival Australia for continuing to ignore requests for refunds for its postponed shows.

The Festival was first due to be held in Wallsend in February 2021 and has been postponed on a number of occasions since. There have also been cancellations and postponements of events in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Ipswich and Toowoomba.

The company promises on its Facebook page that refunds are available to anyone who cannot make the new dates, but the company continues to ignore requests by hundreds of local constituents.

Ms Hornery has called on the Fair Trading Minister to give the department some teeth to be able to go after operators like Dinosaur Festival Australia as some families are out of pocket up to $150.

“A mesmerising, world-class dinosaur exhibition featuring life-sized robotic dinosaurs, various amusement rides and dinosaur-themed activities for the whole family, is what the operators of Dinosaur Festival Australia continue to promise but have failed to deliver to residents across the Hunter, particularly Wallsend,” Ms Hornery said.

“The continued postponement of the Festival at Wallsend and the Festival right across Australia has made residents very sceptical about whether the event will ever actually be held.

“The operator has been very hard to contact to discuss the community’s concerns. They have ignored my letters and don’t answer my calls when I ring them.

“Sadly, when people seeking a refund contacted NSW Fair Trading, they were pointed to the refund policy on the company’s website, which says that no refund will be issued and they are advised to seek legal advice.

“This is despite the company publicly posting on its Facebook page that they are offering refunds.

“Most families don’t have deep pockets and cannot pursue legal cases when they are out of pocket, in some cases, up to $150 for a group family ticket.

“I have called on the Minister for Fair Trading to give the Department some teeth to go after operators like Dinosaur Festival Australia.

“The amounts of money involved might seem small, but it is not small to a family that is already struggling to pay their bills, with the increased cost of living pressures that we all have.

“The Government needs to look after working families by giving Fair Trading the powers to ensure refunds are provided when operators act in this way,” said Ms Hornery.

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