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Premier David Crisafulli is paying tribute to “colourful” former Bjelke-Petersen cabinet minister Vince Lester, known for campaigning for changes to toilet door engineering and walking backwards to raise money.

Lester served as the National Party MP across Central Queensland seats of Belyando, Peak Downs and Keppel between 1974 and 2004.

“I think it can be said that Mr Lester is one of the most colourful and interesting people to have ever been elected to this place,” Crisafulli said.

“He was unique.

“A grassroots parliamentarian, a resolute campaigner, a baker … a person well known for walking backwards over great distances to raise money for worthy causes.

“If he believed in something, he campaigned for it, as he did with hinges on toilet doors.”

Lester famously walked backwards more than 20 kilometres to raise money for a local football club.

He also campaigned to change building laws so all toilet doors would open outwards, so anyone who had a heart attack while relieving themselves could be accessed easily by emergency services.

Treasurer David Janetzki described Lester as the “minister for dunny doors”.

Katter Party MP Shane Knuth told the parliament his party’s own founder thought highly of the former Queensland minister.

“I had the honour of inviting him to Charter Towers to campaign for us as a candidate,” he said.

“He said, the first thing you’ve got to do is you got to get your federal member on side.

“So we rang up Bob Katter … and he said, ‘listen to Vince. He taught me everything I know’.”

Minister Ann Leahy also paid tribute to the former MP.

“He made his living as a baker … and rumour has it that the reason he kept getting elected was because the people of Clermont wanted to keep him away from baking, so they voted to send him to Brisbane.

“He championed small practical changes that we see every day, like reflectorised number plates, and also as mentioned earlier, he advocated for those toilet doors to swing out.”