The Queensland Land Court rules in favour of stripping Hong Kong based billionaire, Benny Wu, of the Double Island resort lease but leaves the final decision in the hands of Resources Minister Scott Stewart.
The original owners of Double Island lament the destruction of a once thriving tourist destination as the Land Court rules in favour of removing the current lease.Resources Minister Scott Stewart, whose department brought the court action, will now decide if the lease will be officially stripped.
"A tourism resort requires the availability of overnight accommodation, facilities such as a food and beverage service and activities that one might expect on a holiday," Ms Stilgoe said."From day one, Mr Wu knew that compliance with these conditions was a requirement." The matter was heard today in the Land Court in Cairns — the first time the Queensland government has taken such action to strip a lease from an island owner.
Barrister Jonathan Horton , representing the Department of Resources, said the current owner of Double Island resort had been given three years to comply with lease requirements.Documents tendered to the court show Fortune Island Holdings had argued the resort was still being used for tourism purposes by kayakers taking day trips.
The family conglomerate, all of whom have construction backgrounds, pooled their money and built the resort in the early 1980s, based on eco-friendly designs they had seen in Hawaii, and barged in construction material from the Cairns mainland."As kids, we used to go over on weekends and sometimes if we were cheeky on school days to help and work on the site," Mr Balderson said.
Land Court Lease Island Resort Queensland Government Benny Wu Hong Kong Businessman Developer
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