Queensland's cabinet spent time discussing which way toilet doors should open

THE Bjelke-Petersen cabinet endorsed the principle of having toilet doors in public buildings open outwards in 1981.

ONE of the most quixotic campaigns in Australian political history received the full backing of the Bjelke-Petersen cabinet in 1981 when it endorsed the principle of having toilet doors in public buildings open outwards.

National Party backbencher Vince Lester had started the campaign earlier in the year with a press conference at a freshly-cleaned government bathroom when he entered the cubicle, feined having a heart attack, and demonstrated the difficulty in opening the door as his stricken body had slumped forward, thus blocking the door.

At the time there didn't seem to be an epidemic in Queensland of people having heart attacks on the toilet, but Lester, who had come to prominence by walking backwards through his remote central Queensland electorate, claimed strong community support for his pro-active measure.

Consequently the cabinet meeting of May 5 1981 endorsed an amendment to the Standard Building Bylaws contained within the Building Act of 1975 "to provide that all now fully enclosed water closet doors must be constructed in such a manner that they can be opened in an emergency from the outside".

The cabinet submission, which was brought forward by the Local Government, Main Roads and Police Minister Russ Hinze, noted that such a measure would be prudent "in circumstances where it is necessary to render aid to a person who has collapsed in a water closet".

Aside from an interest in water closets, Cabinet also considered a feasability study into the establishment of a Queensland Zoo - or QZoo, as it was known - which envisaged a large central zoo in Brisbane and several smaller zoos in regional areas. While Tourism Minister Tony Elliott said it was "too good a project not to come to fruition", the state Treasury, held by Liberal leader Llew Edwards, saw difficulties in spending $70 million on the proposal.

At least these were written submissions - the Building Advisory Committee had examined Lester's proposal - but several other major issues were passed through Cabinet with only an oral submission.

The biggest of these was the proposal to grant two casino licences, one in south-east Queensland and one in North Queensland. The most vocal advocate in Cabinet was Russ Hinze, but Sir Joh, who was a well-known opponent of gambling, was left to announce the decision to build casinos in the Gold Coast and Townsville.