Dear staff,
Further to the Australian Government’s announcement that a National Day of Mourning for Queen Elizabeth II will be held on Thursday 22 September, I am writing to confirm arrangements for this newly declared public holiday.
Working arrangements
Only critical operational staff, such as security, will be scheduled to work on this day.
The public holiday falls in the first week of school holidays and, as such, many staff have already booked their annual leave for this period. Staff who have already applied for paid leave are not required to do anything. The Human Resources team will review and modify any paid leave requests to reflect your entitlement to be absent from work for this public holiday.
Casual staff who were originally scheduled to work on this day will be advised if their work will be rescheduled to another day. If that work is not rescheduled, the affected casual staff will be paid for the hours lost.
Teaching, learning, and student support
We will send an email to all students tomorrow to advise them that all classes, tutorials, and assessments will be cancelled on Thursday 22 September.
Each School will need to determine whether make-up classes, assessments, placements, or field trips will be needed, and make new arrangements if required. Academic Services Division will assist with scheduling alternative timetable arrangements and required adjustments to Electronic Course Profiles.
Libraries and study spaces will remain open for the public holiday but will have limited staff support. You can stay up to date with library opening hours here.
Student Central will be closed for the public holiday and any appointments will be rescheduled. Students needing support can still contact Student Services via phone, email, and chat.
Facilities and operations
All UQ facilities will operate under public holiday conditions, so access to buildings will be via swipe-cards only.
All retail and cultural facilities on our campuses will be closed for the day. Some UQ Sport facilities will be open to members but will be operating in public holiday mode.
The Intercampus buses between St Lucia, Gatton and Long Pocket will not run on the public holiday. However, the safety bus at St Lucia will continue to operate.
In accordance with Australian Government protocol, all flags at UQ sites will be flown at half-mast until the day after the Queen’s funeral.
Should you have any queries about arrangements for the public holiday on 22 September, I would encourage you to discuss these with your supervisor/manager.
With best wishes
Debbie
