Qld LNP promise to reopen Double Island to tourism, keep state ownership

The LNP has vowed to restore a Far North Queensland island asset to its former glory while promising to keep it in state hands, after years of neglect and ruin.

Both major parties are putting forth bold proposals about the future of Double Island ahead of the state election in October. Picture: Brendan Radke

The LNP opposition is vowing to restore a Far North Queensland asset to its former glory while promising to keep the asset in state hands, after years of neglect and ruin.

However the state government says this is not unlike their plan for Double Island, after it successfully moved to strip Benny Wu’s lease in the Land Court.

The opposition’s natural resources spokesman MP Dale Last said if elected in October, the LNP would maintain government ownership over Double Island and reopen it to the public “as a priority”.

“Double Island should be a vibrant eco-tourism asset, supporting hundreds of jobs, but instead Labor’s failures have left it falling into rack and ruin,” he said.

Queensland opposition spokesman for natural resources Dale Last. Picture: Brendan Radke

“Labor continues to drag its feet on the future of the Island, but the LNP will revitalise it as a tourism destination.

“Our iconic islands should be open to the public … not kept under lock and key.”

Mr Last said it comes after the LNP “fought tooth and nail” to secure an inquiry into the “failed management” of Queensland islands two years ago.

“The inquiry outlined 18 scathing recommendations including cancelling leases of nonconforming lessors,” he said.

“After years of Labor’s management failures, now they can’t even say what they’ll do with the island.”

Barron River MP Craig Crawford. Picture: Brendan Radke

Barron River MP Craig Crawford said the government was about halfway through a six-week appeals process and confirmed its intentions to reopen the island to tourism.

“The (Resources) minister Scott Stewart is very clear to me and his intentions that he plans to execute the removal of the lease,” he said.

“We’ve been very clear, we want the island back. That’s what were doing.”

Mr Crawford said he would make sure the government would “not go down the same road as we did before”.

“An identical lease just for a different billionaire, I can guarantee that is not going to happen. I will not let that happen,” he said.

“We want to see public access, but at the same time, it’s a great opportunity to do a tourism-related operation there. I don’t think we should just shut it up for a national park.”

Surveys of the island’s condition need to happen before an expressions of interest process opens to operators interested in taking on the next lease, Mr Crawford said.

Originally published as Qld LNP promise to reopen Double Island to tourism, keep state ownership