Only in Queensland under the premiership of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen in the late 1970s could a spa bath be built for his personal use at parliament.
Complete with colourfully patterned carpet, a cushioned seat and city views, the secret spa remains under lock and key on the premier's level of the 24-storey parliamentary annexe.
The extension was built next to a security office with one-way glass windows facing the lift so guards could be stationed outside the former premier's room.
Queensland Parliament Speaker and Mulgrave MP Curtis Pitt said the rooms provide an insight into the thinking at the time of the controversial former premier.
"Certainly there had been some significant and real threats to the premier at the time before the annexe was built," Mr Pitt said.
"I think it probably also did point to a little bit of paranoia in terms of security concerns.
"There were certainly plenty of things that were catered for when the annexe was originally built in the 1970s that you simply could not do today."
A symbol of a bygone era
Those little known rooms — which are symbolic of a bygone era — and others will soon be torn down as $41 million worth of refurbishment works get underway at the parliamentary annexe.
The $20 million concrete building was built in 1979 and saw Queensland become one of the only parliaments in Australia to provide on-site accommodation for regional members during sitting weeks, as well as offices, ministerial suites, lounges and function spaces.
The year-long works will see the building's beige concrete facade repaired, 400 windows replaced, the remodelling of 79 bedrooms to increase capacity to 86 rooms and the modernisation of 74 office spaces.
Mr Pitt has been around the annexe since childhood while his dad, former Mulgrave MP Warren Pitt, served under the Goss, Beattie and Bligh governments.
He said the works will be the most significant to take place at the annexe since it was built, with some rooms remaining untouched for decades.
"This really isn't about cosmetic changes, it's really about functionality and making sure that we've got a modern space for members to reside in," he said.
"And obviously, if we can make that as comfortable as possible for rural and regional MPs, it's really important."
'Long overdue' safety works needed
The funding was set aside for the refurbishment in the last state budget, with the spend for the 2022-23 financial year spurred on by safety concerns.
Last year, areas of the parliament precinct were closed off because concrete had been falling off the building's facade.
Burdekin MP Dale Last suffered smoke inhalation and needed medical treatment after the air conditioning unit in his room caught fire a few years ago.
"The air con unit that they pulled out of my room was installed when it was constructed back in the late 70s," he said.
"Unfortunately, it caught on fire one night and if it wasn't for the smoke alarm, I may not be here today.
"It's absolutely long overdue — we've got concrete falling off the sides of the building, we've had no end of electrical and plumbing issues."
While politicians spending taxpayers' money on themselves might be an unpopular move, Mr Pitt said the renovations were necessary due to safety concerns for MPs, staff and visitors.
"Frankly, when you've got fire and safety concerns like that, that's not a safe workplace," he said.
"It was to the point where we had to do something about it.
"Many things were considered, some of those included full demolition and rebuilds but ultimately, the best value for money at the moment was the refurbishment.
"So I think people hopefully will be very satisfied that this is a good use of public funds."
'A very unusual boarding school'
The refurbishment works are expected to take at least a year with MPs to be housed in surrounding hotels in the city.
They'll be moving out after budget week later this month so work can begin.
Many current MPs have fond memories of the annexe — and its history — from childhood as they visited and stayed over as family members of MPs.
While the building is described by some as a home away from home, Maroochydore MP Fiona Simpson said she prefers to think of it as "a very unusual boarding school, a necessary evil".
"It was part of the era, what was happening [when the building was built] was they were repairing the old parliament at the time," she said.
"There was a major push to make sure the actual parliament didn't fall down, the foundations had to be rebuilt, they had to redo the roof, which was leaking.
"They had West Indian termites in it so they actually moved the whole parliament out into the annexe — it wasn't just about accommodation and offices.
Ms Simpson is one of the longest-serving current members of Queensland Parliament and remembers camping out in the room of her father, former Sunshine Coast MP Gordon Simpson.
"The worst memory I have was when I was a university student and I thought I could get a ride home that night, but I found that the house sat until eight o'clock the next morning," she said.
"And the bells [rang] all through the night, so as far as comfort, it was good for the parliamentarians but not good for the visitors."
Traeger MP Robbie Katter is the third generation of his family to be a member of parliament, and remembers coming down to Brisbane from North Queensland when his dad, Bob Katter, was a state MP for almost 20 years.
"Dad was elected in 1974, and I was born in 1977 so presumably I stayed in the annexe since I was born and through childhood," Mr Katter said.
Mr Katter agreed the annexe was in need of an update and the right decision had been made to refurbish it.
"It definitely needs a refurb, you can tell that the air con is really old," he said.
"I'm more than happy with the accommodation as it is but I think there's some serious concerns about the health of the building.
"I think the sooner they can fix it up the better, it's probably a hard sell to the public but if you costed this over the next five or 10 years for putting us up in hotels it would be more cost effective."
