A major national study has delivered stark new evidence of the emotional toll facing Australia’s public school principals, revealing a profession grappling with escalating psychosocial risks, chronic stress and trauma.
Conducted by Monash University in collaboration with Deakin University and the University of Sydney, the research draws on 298 first-hand critical incident testimonies from 256 principals nationwide, uncovering what researchers describe as the “invisible labour” of school leadership.
The project, Invisible Labour: Principals’ Emotional Labour in Volatile Times, provides confronting insights into principals’ experiences during natural disasters, violence, suicide, community upheaval and other crises. The first two reports, released this week, highlight how principals routinely absorb the emotional shock of critical incidents – often with profound consequences for their own health and wellbeing.
Lead researcher Professor Jane Wilkinson said the testimonies offer “an unflinching and deeply human insight” into the lived experience of school leaders.
“Australian public school principals are deeply committed to their communities, but often at great personal cost,” she said. “Managing competing demands and switching seamlessly between interactions can lead to chronic stress, burnout and lower job satisfaction. Their emotional labour is vital, yet undervalued.”
Emotional labour: central, intense and largely invisible
The study defines “emotional labour” as the management of one’s own emotions – and the emotions of others – to meet professional expectations. According to co-author Professor Lucas Walsh, this work has intensified significantly as schools confront increasingly complex social, political and economic environments.
“What is new is the intensified emotional management work of school leadership,” he said. “These reports call for major reform of the principalship that acknowledges principals as emotional leaders and first responders.”
While principals’ workloads are widely recognised, the research argues that emotional labour remains largely absent from policy frameworks, role descriptions and systemic planning – despite being fundamental to effective leadership.
Testimonies reveal trauma, exhaustion and heightened risks
The findings reveal substantial negative impacts on principals’ wellbeing, including insomnia, nightmares, exhaustion, trauma, physical illness and, for some, symptoms consistent with PTSD. Several participants reported feeling “emotional wrecks” or “shattered” after prolonged exposure to critical incidents, with some considering leaving the profession.
One Queensland principal described the experience of managing a crisis as “like juggling 10 chainsaws,” detailing the relentless demands of supporting staff and students, responding to families, managing media interest and liaising with police and government. “You go home at night, don’t sleep, and then repeat it all again the next day,” they said.
Another principal reflected on leading a school community through the aftermath of a bushfire that destroyed the campus: “Our whole community was in shock… We were all traumatised and running on empty. The next eight weeks were a blur.”
The study also highlights heightened risks for principals in rural, remote and low socio-economic school communities, who face compounded challenges including community-wide trauma, systemic underfunding and more complex student needs.
Calls for urgent systemic reform
The report outlines several recommendations, including:
-
Reviewing principal role descriptions to formally recognise the first-responder nature of the job and the emotional labour it requires.
-
Establishing peer support networks and access to clinical supervision for principals at all career stages.
-
Increasing specialist support in behaviour management, disability, mental health and wellbeing services – particularly in regional, rural and disadvantaged schools.
According to researchers, these measures would not only protect principals’ health and safety but also reduce costs associated with workers’ compensation claims and leadership attrition.
Sector leaders warn the situation is unsustainable
The Australian Secondary Principals’ Association (ASPA) National President, Mr Andy Mison, said the findings highlight how the principalship has evolved into a role of “immense complexity” in increasingly volatile times.
“Australia’s goals for equity, excellence and flourishing students are entirely dependent on having strong, well-supported leaders,” he said. “Understanding this emotional labour is essential for the sustainability of school leadership and the health of our education system.”
The Australian Education Union (AEU) has also welcomed the research, describing it as further evidence that principals are working under extreme and unsustainable pressure. AEU Federal President Ms Correna Haythorpe said principals are serving simultaneously as “first responders, crisis managers, counsellors, community leaders and administrators” – often without the resourcing or recognition required.
“No principal should be left ‘juggling 10 chainsaws’ while supporting their school community through trauma,” she said. “It is morally indefensible for governments to ignore the human cost of this crisis.”
Ms Haythorpe urged governments to ensure principal wellbeing is embedded in legislation, policy and funding frameworks, including through the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement.
To view the reports and principals’ testimonies, visit:
- Report One: Technical Overview of the Project
- Report Two: The Emotional Labour of the School Principal
