The company was notified earlier this year of the action.

Fortune, owned by Hong Kong billionaire Benny Wu, has held the lease since 2012, but the once proud tourist spot has fallen into disrepair.

He also owns several tourism properties in Cairns and there have been complaints the council about their state.

However, Double Island is not the only one in disrepair. Several islands that were hit by cyclones have never re-opened and remain uninhabitable.

A parliamentary committee found that “abandoned and dilapidated Great Barrier Reef island resorts blight the capacity of the Queensland tourism industry to recover from the significant loss it experienced from the Covid-19 pandemic, and that there was little incentive to remediate, repair or otherwise remove the outdated, damaged and dilapidated infrastructure that is present on many of these islands.

It found that on Brampton Island Resort that “buildings have now been allowed to decay to such a degree that … refurbishment or rebuilding will be very expensive”.

South Molle and Lindeman were also severely damaged.

Resources Minister Scott Stewart said the islands were natural assets that people wanted to enjoy.

“As a Government we are committed to the responsible development of our island resorts for the jobs and business opportunities they create in Queensland,” he said.

“However, lessees on government property are required to meet conditions on their leases.”