Incident Response

Extreme weather conditions continue to impact our region. Flooding and power outages are currently affecting many of our students and staff. Your safety and the safety of our students and communities remain our priority. Please continue to monitor local weather conditions, heed warnings, and prioritise your safety and wellbeing in the coming days.

Our thoughts are with all those affected by this extreme weather event. To support the UniSQ community, our Employee Assistance Provider (Converge) has compiled an overview of available resources and support services. You can find these resources on SafetyCentral.

All UniSQ campuses (except Residential Colleges in Toowoomba) will now be closed until 6:00 am, Wednesday 12 March. On-campus services (shuttle bus, retail, library, iConnect) will remain unavailable. The cancellation of learning and teaching has been extended by 24 hours and no classes will be held on Tuesday 11 March.

We are currently planning for campuses to reopen and learning and teaching to resume from 6:00am, Wednesday 12 March.

• Academic staff who are unable to participate in learning and teaching activity that is likely to impact classes this week should liaise with their Head of School or College as soon as possible so that alternative arrangements can be made.
• All other staff should work from home where possible, and it is safe to do so.
• Supervisors, please stay in touch with your teams to monitor their wellbeing and availability.
• If you are unable to work or are affected by the extreme weather event, you should take special leave during this period – please apply as usual.
• Students will continue to receive separate communications and course-specific communication as needed.

Thank you to many of you who have continued to work behind the scenes to ensure the safety of our campuses and communities and the provision of support services.

We will continue to monitor the situation and provide you with regular updates. Please stay informed via official UniSQ channels, including email and the UniSQ website.

As Tropical Cyclone Alfred continues to impact the region, please see the latest updates:

• All UniSQ physical campuses and sites are now closed until 6am Tuesday 11 March. Residential Colleges in Toowoomba and UniSQ Security are exempt. On-campus services (shuttle bus, retail, library, iConnect) are unavailable.
• All learning and teaching activities will be cancelled from 6pm tonight (Thursday 6 March) until at least 6am Tuesday 11 March. At this stage, learning and teaching will resume from Tuesday 11 March. We will provide further communications on Monday 10 March about whether learning and teaching can resume online only or on campus next week.
• Essential staff (such as those in client-facing roles) should check with their supervisor about any work requirements, though we understand weather conditions and power outages may make working impossible.
• Staff who can work safely from home during this period may choose to do so.
• Any staff who are unable to work or are affected by the extreme weather event should take special leave during this period – apply as usual.
• Existing leave arrangements will remain in place for staff already on approved leave (such as annual or long service leave).

Your safety remains our highest priority. Please direct any questions you may have to your supervisor.

A huge thank you to the many staff who have worked tirelessly to prepare for this closure, ensuring the safety of our community and the continuity of learning and support services.

We will continue to provide updates as required. Please stay informed through UniSQ email and website updates, and monitor local weather warnings via Bureau of Meteorology warnings and Queensland Government Disaster Management.

Due to the extreme weather event associated with Tropical Cyclone Alfred, all UniSQ physical campuses and sites will close from midday tomorrow (Wednesday 5 March 2025) until at least midnight Sunday 9 March 2025.

The safety of our students, staff, and community is our priority.

During this time:

• There will be no access to all UniSQ physical campuses and sites with the exception of the Residential Colleges in Toowoomba and UniSQ Security.
• Scheduled classes, along with student support services, will transition to online delivery from 6am tomorrow. Mandatory on-campus classes – including laboratories – will be rescheduled. Students will be advised to check their StudyDesk for course-specific information.
• Staff have been asked to work from home during this period.
• All on-campus services and facilities, including the shuttle bus, retail, library and iConnect physical service points, will be unavailable during this period. The last shuttle buses will depart each campus at 10am on Wednesday (5 March 2025).

We encourage students and staff to stay informed via official UniSQ communication channels, including email and UniSQ website. Please follow local weather warnings and only travel if it is safe to do so.

The next update will be provided by 5pm Thursday 6 March, or earlier if required.

Cyclone information

For more information on the cyclone, visit:

• Bureau of Meteorology warnings
• Disaster Management, Queensland Government