Disaster information for Queensland Government accommodation

This guideline is for the managers and occupants of office accommodation and employee housing provided by the Queensland Government Accommodation Office (QGAO).

If you need to evacuate

For office accommodation, if you must evacuate the building, advise your department’s facilities team who should let QGAO know as soon as possible.

For employee housing, if you must evacuate your residence, notify both your leasing agency and the QGAO, Government Employee Housing (GEH) team directly at GEHTenancy@epw.qld.gov.au.

Alternate accommodation

For alternate office accommodation, first contact your department’s facilities team who may have space available within your agency’s portfolio. If not, they can contact QGAO who will have identified potential options in the lead up to an event.  
Distributed Work Centres (DWC) can also be made available for staff who need an alternate location from their usual workplace or for local community recovery work.

For alternate employee housing arrangements please contact your leasing agency in the first instance, who will in turn consult with GEH to discuss alternate options.

Communication

QGAO will keep your department’s office accommodation and housing teams updated on issues affecting your location, including when premises can be safely occupied during or following an event.

If you have questions, contact the relevant team within your department, who can contact QGAO, if required. For office accommodation, an on-site building manager or representative, where available, may also assist.

Inspections and repairs

Where QBuild, is engaged to carry out repairs, they will:

1. Conduct Rapid Damage Assessments (RDA) on impacted assets as soon as it is safe to do so.
2. Identify assets that require rectification and arrange for a more detailed Rapid Damage Inspection (RDI) to be completed.
3. Based on the RDI, develop a prioritised implementation schedule/s with QGAO prioritisation.
4. Carry out rectification work.

Access for urgent repairs

Where possible, QBuild and/or their contractor will notify the occupant in advance if entry is required to determine damage or carry out repair work.

For office accommodation where QBuild have not been able contact the occupant, entry may occur without notice.

For employee housing urgent repairs, where QBuild have not been able to contact the tenant or the leasing agency, entry to premises may take place without notice as per the Residential Tenancies Authority timeframes for entry.

For non-urgent works at employee housing, if no one is home, QBuild will contact the leasing agency in the first instance and will leave an attendance sticker at the premises to show that they attended the site.

Insurance claims

Office accommodation fitout within QGAO’s portfolio is insured through the Queensland Government Insurance Fund (QGIF). Any specialised equipment belonging to an occupant (e.g., laboratory, workshops, plotters, screens, electronic equipment, computers, monitors, and the like) is excluded and will need to be insured by the occupying agency.

Agencies are responsible for paying the excess amount on any insurance claims and for managing the claim process through QGIF. However, in the event of multiple claims across a single site, the department of Energy and Public Works may manage the claim on behalf of occupying agencies.

Read the Office Accommodation Management Framework for more information.

Government employee housing is insured through QGIF for the building only;  tenants need their own contents insurance to cover personal possessions.

Preparing for an event

The following information will help you to stay safe during an event:

• Queensland Government Emergency Services and Safety
• Get Ready Queensland
• Rental Tenancy Association: Natural disasters
• Rental Tenancy Association: Advice for tenants during a flood

Contacts

Urgent repairs to office accommodation or employee housing

If the office building or house is owned by QGAO or GEH contact the QBuild State-wide Maintenance Response Centre and also let your department’s facility team or leasing agency know.

If the office space is leased by QGAO contact the QGAO lease manager for your agency or building and let your department’s facility team know.  If you do not know who the lease manager is, call QGAO on (07) 3007 2761.

For non-urgent repairs follow your agency’s usual arrangements.

To enquire about alternate accommodation

Occupants of QGAO buildings and houses should contact the relevant team within their department who, if required, can contact QGAO as follows:

• For office accommodation call (07) 3007 2761 or email QGAO.enquiries@epw.qld.gov.au
• For employee housing call (07) 3008 2730 or email GEHTenancy@epw.qld.gov.au