Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The PPL is the central repository for policies, procedures and guidelines for The University of Queensland (UQ). The PPL is the central resource for staff, students, and all stakeholders to access and understand the current policies and procedures.

The PPL contains a wide range of policies, procedures and guidelines that cover the areas of operations at UQ. These may include policies related to academic affairs, human resources, finance, research, health and safety, information technology, and more. PPL documents are designed to ensure effective and efficient governance and management at UQ.

• Know the name of the document you are looking for?

Click Browse A-Z to see a master list of all policies, procedures, and guidelines in the PPL in alphabetic order, by title. You can go to the relevant part of the list by clicking on a letter in the ‘Index’. 

Use the ‘Filter By’ drop down options to filter by audience, document type and/or document category.

Click the ‘View Summary Descriptions’ link for a description of the PPL document.

• Don't know the name of the document you are looking for?

Click Search to search all PPL documents based on specific criteria. You can filter by various search criteria including ‘Document Category’ (topic areas; for example, human resources, health, safety and wellness, etc.), ‘Management Area’ (business unit), ‘Document Realm’ (academic, operational or governance), or ‘Target Audience’ (staff, students or community).

You can search using any or all of the criteria listed. The more fields you complete, the more targeted your search result will be. Once you have entered your search criteria click ‘Search Documents’.

You can use the ‘Document Category’ filter to see all PPL documents by topic area. For detailed information on each search criteria refer to the notes column to the right of each field.
 

All PPL documents have a navigation menu on the left-hand side to move through the document.

At the top of each PPL document there are tabs to allow you to view:

• ‘Current Version’: the approved policy, procedure or guideline currently in effect.
• ‘Status and Details’: information about the document approval and review dates, the approval authority, the enquiries contact, and changes since the last version.
• ‘Associated Information’: links to related policies, procedures and documents, relevant legislation and websites.
• ‘Historical Versions’: links to previous versions of the document published after 3 April 2024.  You can request historical versions published before 3 April 2024 by emailing governance@uq.edu.au.
• ‘Future Versions’: any approved versions of the document scheduled to come into effect at a future date.
• ‘Print’: open or download the document in Portable Document Format (PDF) for printing.

For versions prior to 3 April 2024, please contact Enterprise Governance at governance@uq.edu.au. 

For versions after 3 April 2024, open the relevant document in the PPL and select the ‘Historic Versions’ tab from the menu bar at the top of the document.

You can use the ‘Document Category’ filter to see all PPL documents by topic area.(for example, human resources, health, safety and wellness, etc.).  

You can also use other search criteria including ‘Management Area’ (business unit), ‘Document Realm’ (academic, operational or governance), ‘Keywords’ or ‘Target Audience’ (staff, students or community).

You can search using any or all of the criteria listed. The more fields you complete, the more targeted your search result will be. 

Tabs across the top of each document allow you to view information about the policy, including its ‘Associated Information’.

‘Associated Information’ includes links to related policies, procedures and guidelines, relevant legislation and websites.

If your question is related to the PPL document content, use the ‘Status and Details’ tab to locate the Enquiries Contact for each PPL document.  

For help with the PPL platform, or for general policy support contact governance@uq.edu.au. 

You will find templates and information to help staff in the review, development and approval of PPL documents under Resources on the Governance and Risk website.

Yes, you can download or print a copy of a document from the PPL. This enables you to have offline access to the document for reference or documentation purposes. Look for the Print tab on a document provided on the PPL website to generate a PDF version. 

Please remember that once you download or print a copy to refer to, it may become outdated soon after. If you refer to a policy, procedure or guideline frequently, we recommend bookmarking the page. 

No. Content housed on the PPL is currently open access.

The platform for the PPL content changed. Review the FAQ for information about its functionality.

In the new PPL:

• The previous numbering and naming format of the PPL was removed. For example, ‘PPL 5.60.01 Leave Entitlements Policy’ became ‘Leave Entitlements Policy’.
• Documents are listed alphabetically, with the ability to filter by document type, document category (e.g., Teaching and Learning, Human Resources) and/or key words.  
• The numbering within sections was removed. Section headings are used with continuous paragraph numbering in clauses, with bullets in letter and roman numeral format.  
• Policies and their corresponding procedures and guidelines are linked in the associated information of each document, instead of across tabs. This also means each document has a unique URL. 
• Images and diagrams are linked and open in a new tab, rather than being embedded within the document. 
• Minor administrative changes were made to policies, procedures and guidelines fit the new formatting. The substantive content of the PPL did not change. Some PPL documents attached forms or other material like schedules or tables (uploaded to the Forms tab in the previous PPL). These documents were migrated across to the new platform unchanged. 
• The previous PPL URLs changed to a new URL (redirects are in place for about 12 months from 3 April 2024).

We encourage policy owners to check their PPL documents after 3 April 2024 and if you identify any issues, please contact the Governance team (governance@uq.edu.au).

Compliance with policies and procedures is mandatory across UQ. The policies and procedures are designed to promote transparency, accountability and compliance across University operations. 

Guidelines provide general statements, recommendations or administrative instructions designed to achieve the objectives of a compliance obligation, policy or procedure. Compliance with guidelines is not mandatory.

For more information, see the UQ Governance and Management Framework.

The documents in the PPL are regularly reviewed and updated to align with changes in legislation, regulations, and best practice. The frequency of updates may vary depending on the nature of the document and UQ’s requirements. It is recommended to check the PPL periodically to stay informed about any changes or updates in policies and procedures relevant to you. The review date for each document is listed in the ‘Status and Details’ tab of the document.

Yes, UQ welcomes feedback and suggestions from staff, students, and all stakeholders regarding its policies, procedures and guidelines. You can contact the Enquiries Contact listed on a document’s ‘Status and Details’ tab to submit your suggestions or comments.

If you need to redo a search on the ‘Search Results’ page that did not produce the results you require, you can:

• Adjust your original search terms: Use the ‘back’ arrow to go back to the original search page and adjust your search parameters.
• Use the ‘Search again’ link to return to the Search page. Note: the ‘Search again’ link will clear your search parameters.