A major new national study has found school principals are feeling “let down” and increasingly abandoned by governments, as mounting pressures push many to burnout, resignation and serious health impacts.
The research, led by Monash University in collaboration with Deakin University and University of Sydney, draws on nearly 300 critical incident testimonies from more than 250 principals across Australia. It paints a confronting picture of a profession under strain, with leaders reporting chronic stress, emotional exhaustion and a growing sense of systemic neglect.
Released as the final report in the Invisible labour: Principals’ emotional labour in volatile times project, the findings come as government school principals and assistant principals prepared to join teachers in planned strike action this week.
Principals interviewed for the study described feeling unsupported by education departments, particularly when dealing with complex and traumatic incidents within their school communities.
A regional Victorian primary school principal said the experience had lasting personal consequences.
“I felt abandoned and isolated. My confidence felt destroyed and I felt hung out to dry,” she said.
A New South Wales secondary principal echoed the sentiment, describing a sense of betrayal after years in the role.
“After many years of dedicated service, I leave feeling a failure and like I am kicked to the curb like garbage, used and abused,” she said.
The report highlights how the emotional demands of school leadership are translating into serious health concerns. Principals reported symptoms including insomnia, illness, anxiety and depression, with some describing impacts consistent with post-traumatic stress.
Lead researcher Ms Jane Wilkinson said the emotional labour required of principals remains largely invisible, despite being central to the functioning of school communities.
“Australian public school principals are navigating increasingly volatile environments with limited government support. Their emotional labour is largely invisible and often unacknowledged,” she said.
The study also points to “emotional dissonance”, isolation and a lack of systemic support as key factors deterring teachers from pursuing leadership roles – raising concerns about the future pipeline of school leaders.
Beyond crisis management, principals reported facing conflicting legal and moral responsibilities, such as balancing student safety with inclusion, alongside growing administrative and compliance demands.
The cumulative effect, the report finds, is a role that is becoming increasingly unsustainable.
Mr Andrew Cock, Victorian Branch President of the Australian Principals Federation, said the findings reflect what school leaders have been signalling for years.
“The role has become unsustainable and, in far too many cases, unsafe,” he said.
“This research exposes a profession carrying immense emotional labour at great personal cost, with principals reporting chronic stress, exhaustion, trauma and even symptoms consistent with PTSD.”
He added that principals are now expected to operate as educators, counsellors, crisis managers and first responders – often without adequate support.
The report calls for systemic reform across all levels of education governance, warning that without change, the sustainability of school leadership is at risk.
Key recommendations include prioritising principal wellbeing in national workforce planning, reducing administrative workloads, and providing greater access to frontline support such as mental health professionals and behavioural specialists.
It also urges governments to standardise counselling and wellbeing programs, improve induction for new principals, and launch public campaigns to rebuild respect for educators and public schooling.
Professor Wilkinson said urgent action is needed to restore trust and protect the wellbeing of school leaders.
“Our research calls for reform to ensure principals’ physical and psychosocial safety, and to safeguard the future of our public schools,” she said.
With declining interest in principalship and increasing reports of burnout, the report sends a clear message to policymakers: without meaningful support, the system risks losing the very leaders it depends on.
