CRICOS Provider No 00025B DISASTER – HOW DO YOU RECOVER? LESSONS AND INSIGHTS FOR BUSINESS Mrs Maureen Bowen Acting Academic Registrar The University of Queensland 1 September 2011

CRICOS Provider No 00025B

What UQ Did Well: Well organised Crisis Response Team with military-style precision! Setting up hotline which was mobilised and staffed very quickly, callers were happy to have a person to talk to; Established FAQs on line – updated frequently; Conveying quickly and clearly, the closure of the University (blocks of time created certainty - much better than day by day extensions); CRICOS Provider No 00025B

What UQ Did Well: Updates online and by kept staff and students well informed (if they had power); The clean-up and restoration of services was rapid and efficient; An atmosphere of understanding that all staff and students were affected, even if not directly, created a sense of a caring University; Advising staff and students about the services available to assist was focused and appropriate; CRICOS Provider No 00025B

What UQ Did Well: Immediate fund raising and emergency accommodation efforts – Alumni and the public wanted to help and we made it as easy as possible for them; Put a system in place early to track loses for insurance claim; Working with UQ union (student guild) to facilitate financial assistance for students; Consulting course coordinator to ensure they understood what was required for Summer Semester changes plus giving them advice about what arrangements had been made for students appeared to save a lot of questions/concerns. CRICOS Provider No 00025B

What UQ Did Well: International Office kept in close touch with off-shore agents and consulates; Worked closely with international student groups to facilitate appropriate relief supplies (appropriate clothing and food etc.); Set up a centre on campus where Centrelink and other agencies could provide advice and services direct to students and staff ; Started changing the message to a ‘good news story’ as the cleanup gathered pace. CRICOS Provider No 00025B

What We Would Do Differently: Use different set-up method for hotline so that distribution of calls is shared between telephones; More prominent display of the hotline on the UQ home page; Keep hotline staff well briefed on topical and changing issues for hotline operators e.g. security issues, access to campus buildings, QTAC status; CRICOS Provider No 00025B

What We Would Do Differently: Get FAQs up as soon as possible to minimise the need for or telephone enquiries; Send non-essential staff home sooner as crisis unfolded; Have better system for putting messages on phones University-wide; CRICOS Provider No 00025B

Lessons Learned: Ensure essential systems staff have VPN and remote access procedures in place so they can work off-site if needed; Ensure these systems staff have PCs set up so they automatically power back up after there is a blackout; Encourage staff to monitor the university website for updates but recognise that where power is cut, internet access may be lost, so web information may not be available; CRICOS Provider No 00025B

Lessons Learned: Ensuring all managers have contact numbers for their staff - mobile and landline (web information may not be available if mains power is lost); Importance of keeping the Business Continuity Plans up to date and tested. Having BCP and important files backed up on USB, in case of power loss etc. CRICOS Provider No 00025B