Module 2: Checkpoint summary

All of the requirements and their conformance levels for this module are presented here. This summary can be used as a quick checklist for evaluating web pages.

Checkpoint 1 - Queensland Government logo

The Queensland Government logo must be located in the top left corner of each screen and must have identical presentation to the CUE template.

Note: agencies that have an exception to corporate identity may replace the Queensland Government logo with their entity logo.

The logo version that must be used is Logo 6 one line, from Section 4.8 of the Queensland Government corporate identity manual (employees only).

• If the background colour is white or a light colour, the full colour or the solid black and white logo must be used.
• If the background colour is dark, the logo colour must white.

Regardless of which colour logo is used, it must have a minimum colour contrast ratio to the background of at least 4.5:1.

The Queensland Government logo must provide a link to www.qld.gov.au.

The alternative text for the Queensland Government logo must be 'Queensland Government'.

To reinforce Queensland Government branding, the Queensland Government shield must be also be displayed as a favicon in the address bar of the browser, as well as in the browser tabs and bookmarks (favourites).

Agencies must use the favicon included with the CUE template.

Note: Websites that have an approval for an entity-only logo may either use this logo as a favicon or use the default browser icon.

Checkpoint 2 - Site name

The site name must be located directly below the Queensland Government logo.

The site name must provide a link to the site homepage.

Checkpoint 3 - Agency websites

The full form of the agency name must be used e.g. 'Department of the Premier and Cabinet'; not 'Premier and Cabinet'.

The agency name text must be in Meta font. To render this font correctly, it is permissible to display the site name as an image.

The agency name must be all bold or all regular type; it cannot be a mixture.

The alternative text on the image must use the same text that is displayed in the image.

Checkpoint 4 - Campaign websites

For major campaign websites, the site name must be the campaign name.

For major campaigns, the site name must be in the campaign font style, but must not contain a logo.

This means the campaign name may be displayed as an image. The alternative text on this image must use the same text that is displayed in the image.

Checkpoint 5 - Site branding

The site branding must be located in the header of the page.

The site branding strip must be the same height across all web pages and websites, as defined in the CUE template presentation requirements.

Any graphics located behind the Queensland Government logo or site name must have a colour contrast ratio of at least 3:1. (Large-scale text)

Any graphics located behind the site utilities must have a minimum colour contrast ratio to the logo of at least 4.5:1.

In addition, these backgrounds must not decrease the readability of these elements.

No additional navigation or links, apart from the Queensland Government logo, site name and site utilities, will be located within the site branding.

Checkpoint 6 - Photography in site branding

If photographs are used in the site branding, agencies must use images photographed in Queensland.

Checkpoint 7 - Site utilities

The site utilities must be located in the top right corner of the page.

The site utilities must be displayed in this order:

• Site map (desirable)
• Contact us
• Help
• Search.

Checkpoint 8 - Site map

The site map should, at a minimum, provide links to the main areas of the website.

Checkpoint 9 - Contact us

Each website must have a contact us page, linked from the site utilities.

The contact us page must contain these contact methods (where appropriate):

• counter locations
• telephone numbers*
• fax numbers
• postal addresses
• email addresses.

*Where there is a recognised international audience, an agency should provide additional international dialling information.

Checkpoint 10 - Online contact form

The contact us page should contain an online contact form.

Checkpoint 11 - Help

Each website must have a help section, linked from the site utilities.

At a minimum, this section should include help content on:

• accessibility features, including access keys
• browser support (refer to the browser support plan)
• searching and navigation options
• viewing and downloading non-HTML documents.

Checkpoint 12 - Search

Websites must display a search input field followed by a submit button labelled 'Search'.

All Queensland Government sites must conform to the requirements of Module 5: Search results presentation.

Checkpoint 13 - Expandable menus

Pop-up or expandable menus must be formed from well-structured HTML.

People using assistive technology must have access to the full set of navigation elements.

Checkpoint 14 - Skip links

All skip links must become visible when any individual skip link receives keyboard focus, and become hidden again when none are in focus. (This section, when visible, is the access bar.)

Skip links must be the first elements in the tab order.

While visible, the skip links must displace the web page below, i.e.: they must not overlap the web page.

At a minimum, websites must include 'Skip to content'.

Checkpoint 15 - Site navigation

The site navigation bar must be located horizontally below the site branding.

The site navigation must appear identically on every page including the homepage.

The height of the site navigation must be flexible to allow navigation items to wrap to more than one line when necessary.

The site navigation must be a straight text link, a pop-up menu or a combination of both depending on the navigation requirements of the site.

The site navigation must be left aligned.

The first link must be 'Home' and link to the site homepage.

Site navigation text must be in sentence case, not uppercase.

Checkpoint 16 - Section navigation

The section navigation bar must be located vertically on the left hand side of the screen.

The section navigation must be a list of straight text links, an expandable menu or a combination of both depending on the navigation requirements of the site section.

The width of the section navigation must be identical for all sites as defined in the CUE template stylesheet.

Expandable links in the section navigation must be flagged identically across sites, using the +/- icons supplied with the CUE template.

The links in the section navigation must be left aligned with the icons appearing first.

Section navigation text must be in sentence case, not uppercase.

The section navigation must display consistently on all pages within the section.

Checkpoint 17 - Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs must be used on every page of a site where there is more than one level of navigation.

The breadcrumb must appear at the top of the content.

The breadcrumb must be left aligned.

The breadcrumb must begin from the homepage of that site (agency homepage or major campaign homepage).

The link text for the first breadcrumb link must be 'Home'.

All sections of the breadcrumb must be displayed in sentence case.

The breadcrumb must be clearly separated from the section navigation heading and the page title.

Each page title in the breadcrumb must be a permanently underlined link, apart from the page being accessed.

Sites must use the breadcrumb separator icon supplied with the CUE template.

Checkpoint 18 - Page title

The page title within the content section must be styled as a heading 1 <h1> in HTML.

The page title within the content section must have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1.

The page title and page title element must be in sentence case, not title case.

The page title element must start with the most specific information (e.g. content page title) and end in the least specific information (e.g. Queensland Government).

Checkpoint 19 - Page options

Websites should include page options on content pages.

Page options should, at a minimum be presented as text links without icons, however if agencies choose to use icons in addition to the text links, they must use the set of icons included in the CUE template.

The following page options, if used, must be located in the page options (pre-content) area, right aligned, directly underneath the Heading 1 page title; and repeated in the page options (post-content) area, left-aligned. (Refer to the content area diagram.)

Page options must be listed in this order:

• Print  (or Printable version)
• Email
• Share
• Subscribe

Agencies may choose to include 'Rate this page'. If used, 'rate this page' or page-specific feedback must display within the post-content page options area, after the above options (e.g. print etc.).

Checkpoint 20 - Main content

Content must be left aligned.

For agency sites, the main content must use dark fonts on a white or light coloured background.

Checkpoint 21 - Last updated date

The last updated date must appear directly after the main content.

The last updated date must be displayed as 'Last updated dd (or d) Month yyyy'.

The last updated date element must appear on all content pages (e.g. not the homepage).

The last updated date element must be left aligned and in roman type, not italics.

The last updated date must not appear in the footer.

Checkpoint 22 - Last reviewed date

Websites may display 'Last reviewed dd (or d) Month yyyy'.

If used, the last reviewed date must appear directly before the last updated date, and be displayed as 'Last reviewed dd Month yyyy'.

The last reviewed date must not appear on a homepage.

Checkpoint 23 - Online services

Services provided by an agency should be listed at the top of the asides area on the right side of the homepage.

The title of this element must be 'Services'.

Preference should be given to promoting online services; however agencies may choose to include offline services, depending on the requirements of their target audience.

Where content pages have services directly related to the content, these services should appear at the top of the asides area for that content page. (Refer to checkpoint 24 - Asides)

For online services, the name of the service must link directly to the first screen for that service.

Checkpoint 24 - Asides

The asides element must be located as a column on the right hand side of the screen beside the content area (at medium to large desktop resolutions), regardless of whether content is placed in this element.

Note: some content types may not require the display of an asides column e.g. applications and maps.

The width of this area must be identical for all sites as defined within the CUE template.

Asides content must be displayed consistently where used within a website.

On pages other than homepages, the following types of information may be displayed (but only where relevant to the page content):

• Services
• Consultations ('Have your say')
• Resources, e.g. factsheets etc.

Note: these are examples only.

Checkpoint 25 - Fat footer

Agencies may display a fat footer that consists of the main sections of the site and any other important links.

If implemented, the fat footer must be displayed after the content and asides elements and should be displayed on all web pages for that site where practical.

Fat footers may also be used as the site map. Refer to Checkpoint 8 - Site map.

Checkpoint 26 - Standard footer

The standard footer must appear consistently on every web page.

The contents of the footer must be centre aligned.

These must be displayed in the correct order:

1. Copyright
2. Disclaimer
3. Privacy
4. Right to information (agency websites only)
5. Accessibility
6. Jobs in Queensland Government
7. Other languages
8. Crown copyright
9. Queensland Government.

The links must be displayed in sentence case.

Checkpoint 27 - Copyright

Websites must display the copyright statement as provided under the Australian Governments Open Access and Licensing Framework (AusGOAL).

Agencies must use and display the appropriate Creative Commons licence on web pages containing Creative Commons licensed materials.

Checkpoint 28 - Disclaimer

Agencies must include a disclaimer notice.

Checkpoint 29 - Privacy

The footer must contain a link to a privacy statement that covers:

• the scope of the privacy statement (e.g. 'This privacy statement applies to personal and other information collected on [the agency's] website: www.agency.qld.gov.au')
• the circumstances in which personal information is collected, by whom it is held (e.g. your agency and/or third party agencies or web services) and any choices users may have as to whether such information is collected in the first place
• the uses to which collected personal information may be put by the collecting agency and the circumstances in which it may be disclosed
• the collection and use of statistical information, including users' IP addresses
• a statement that cookies and/or offline storage are used if that is the case and relevant implications of that (if any)
• users' rights to request access to or correction of personal information held by the website's owning agency
• contact details for such purposes.

Checkpoint 30 - Right to information

Major campaign websites do not require a link to the whole-of-government Right to information website.

Checkpoint 31 - Accessibility

Each site must link to an accessibility statement, which includes, at a minimum, the accessibility statement packaged with the CUE template.

Checkpoint 32 - Jobs in Queensland Government

All websites must provide a link in the footer to the Smart Jobs and Careers homepage.

The linking text must be 'Jobs in Queensland Government'.

Checkpoint 33 - Other languages

Websites must provide a link to a page listing all resources available in particular languages.

This page must also link to the general interpreter services statement available from the English version of the 'other languages' page.

If an agency website does not contain translated content, the other languages link may instead link to the 'other languages' page.

Checkpoint 34 - Crown copyright

The second line in the footer must be the Crown copyright statement.

This must be displayed as:

© The State of Queensland (Department of XYZ) yyyy–yyyy

The date range must list from the first year the site was published, to the current year e.g. 2003-2010.

Checkpoint 35 - Link to Queensland Government

The third line in the footer must be a link to the Queensland Government homepage.

The text to be used is 'Queensland Government'.

The link target must be http://www.qld.gov.au/.