Physical violence towards school principals up 76.5% since 2011, report says
Tory Shepherd
Almost half of Australia’s school principals were subjected to physical violence – mainly from students – while more than half were threatened with violence, according to a new report.
The Australian Catholic University surveyed 2300 principals for its latest Institute for Positive Psychology and Education survey.
It found instances of physical violence have increased 76.5% since 2011.
Co-lead investigator, Prof Herb Marsh, said teachers were remarkably resilient in the face of violence, as well as the risk of burnout, increasing job demands, and anxiety. He said:
It is deeply concerning that offensive behaviour towards school leaders and teachers persists and appears to be on the rise.
Around 48% of principals were subjected to physical violence, of which 96.3% was at the hands of students, and 53.9% received threats of violence. More than half the principals intend to quit or retire early. Marsh said:
Assuming only half of those who agreed or strongly agreed to quit acted on this response, there would be an exodus of more than 500 school leaders – the data strongly suggests this would be experienced school leaders.
Key events
Kevin Rudd can advocate for Australia ‘irrespective’ of president, Richard Marles says
Marles was also asked about comments Donald Trump made earlier in the week about US ambassador Kevin Rudd.
(You can read all about this below, in case you missed it):
Marles said Rudd is “doing a great job representing Australia in the US … across the political spectrum”.
I think Kevin is well received across the political spectrum and he’s doing a great job in representing Australia’s interests. I’m not about to go into the specifics of communications I’ve had with Kevin, [I’m expressing] my support for Kevin right now.
Q: If Trump is elected, can Rudd repair that relationship?
Marles:
I think Kevin is doing a great job on behalf of Australia and I think he will be able to do that job, irrespective of who is governing America this time next year.
Really how I see it is that the alliance has endured over decades across governments of both persuasions in the US and both persuasions here in Australia. It exists right through the administration of Donald Trump previously… I think Kevin has role in being able to advocate for Australia in the context of that can absolutely be maintained, irrespective of who wins the election in November.
Julian Assange’s case ‘needs to be resolved’, Marles says
Richard Marles has been speaking to ABC RN about the latest Aukus developments, but has also been asked whether Julian Assange will form part of the talks with the UK.
Marles said he wasn’t “in a position to comment about all of that”, but said:
What I would say is that as an Australian citizen abroad, we have engaged in advocacy for Julian Assange. Whatever one thinks about what Julian Assange has done over the years, this needs to be resolved, his case needs to be brought to resolution and that is the advocacy that we’ve been engaging in, both in the UK [and the US] and we do that with with great respect for the independence of their judicial systems.
Gay conversion practices outlawed in New South Wales
Tamsin Rose
Gay conversion practices have been outlawed in New South Wales after a marathon overnight debate in the state parliament.
The Minns government law will ban conversion practices such as religious “straight camps” that attempt to change someone’s sexual orientation.
The ban was one of Labor’s election promises and was welcomed by equality groups.
The upper house debated the issue overnight before the legislation passed unamended after around 6.30am. Sydney MP Alex Greenwich said:
The sun rises today on a state that is safer for LGBTQ people. LGBTQ people are loved and beautiful, and futile attempts to change or suppress who we are will now be illegal in NSW.
Greens upper house MP Cate Faehrmann said:
The archaic and cruel practice of conversion therapy will now be banned in NSW. It was worth one hell of a late night to be one step closer to full equality.
Government to consider calls to legislate Law Reform Commission report, Marles says
Moving to another issue, Richard Marles was asked for the government’s position on a report put forward by the Law Reform Commission (we had all the details around this earlier in the blog).
Marles said the government had received the report and will “take our time to consider that”, and said consensus on the issue would be needed across the parliament:
The important point here is, we want to see the reforms in relation to dealing with issues of religious discrimination but it is really important that we are walking forward with consensus. The attorney-general has been doing a great job in speaking with people and stakeholders across community, including religious schools. They will continue to do that in respect of this report but we need to try and build consensus in this country around moving down the path we eventually do and that involves also building consensus across the parliament.
Australia to give $4.6bn to UK for Aukus developments
As part of the latest Aukus developments, Australia will send A$4.6bn to the UK to clear bottlenecks at the Rolls-Royce nuclear reactor production line.
Richard Marles was asked why it costs so much, and why this component needs to be done in the UK. He told ABC News Breakfast:
We made clear a year ago that we wouldn’t be building the nuclear reactors in Australia. They will be built by Rolls Royce at its facility in Derby in the UK and once the sealed reactors are built, they will be taken here to the Osborne Naval ship yard and placed in the submarines which the rest of which will be built here at Osborne.
Building nuclear reactors is difficult to do and in order for this to play out, that facility in Derby, which is building nuclear reactors for Britain’s navy, that needs to be expanded and that is what this contribution is for.
I was at that facility last year and they are readying themselves to build the Australian reactors there already. There are parts being made as we speak, which will be on the submarine that will eventually first roll off the production line here in the early 2040s.
Deputy PM Richard Marles outlines today’s Aukus announcement
Deputy prime minister and defence minister Richard Marles has been speaking to ABC News Breakfast about the latest Aukus developments, as high-level talks between Australian and UK defence and foreign ministers start in Adelaide today.
Marles outlined today’s announcement:
Today we will announce that ASC, an Australian government-owned company, will enter into a joint venture with BAE, which is [behind] the building of Britain’s nuclear powered submarines, to form a joint venture to build submarines for the Royal Australian Navy right here at the Osborne naval ship yard … It is an important step towards Australia acquiring this capability and it is a big moment in terms of Australian industry.
Marles said this move would create 4000-5000 local jobs, with around 4000 people required to build the actual yard, enabling the construction of the submarines:
We will be building here at Osborne a skills academy which will focus on making sure that we get the skills base up to the speed that we need to have it at, in order to build the submarines.
Human Rights Commission welcomes landmark report removing LGBTQ+ discrimination exemptions for Australian religious schools
The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has welcomed the tabling of a report from the Australian Law Reform Commission this week, which says schools shouldn’t be allowed to discriminate against staff and students on the basis of sexuality, gender identity or relationship status.
Sarah Basford Canales has all the details about the report below:
In a statement, the AHRC said the report’s recommendations would ensure students and staff are “protected from discrimination … regardless of which school or educational institution they attend”.
The report also recognises the right to freedom of religion and that religious schools should be able to preference the employment of people who share the same religion, where this is reasonably necessary and proportionate to the aim of building or maintaining a community of faith.
The AHRC is calling on the federal government to introduce legislation consistent with the report. Sex discrimination commissioner Anna Cody said:
Our federal laws must not allow discrimination against students or teachers at any school on the basis of their sex, sexuality or gender identity, and I encourage the government to amend the Sex Discrimination Act accordingly.
Our laws should also ensure that the allowance of preferential employment by religious institutions should only occur where it is necessary to maintain a community of faith, and any such allowances should be reasonable and proportionate. This is in keeping with international human rights law.
Caitlin Cassidy
Call for education ministers to address growing threats to principals
Some more on that ACU study: ACU investigator and former principal, Dr Paul Kidson, called on education ministers to take urgent action to address threats to principals.
Incidents involving principals included students “physically lashing out”; getting caught in yard scuffles; being pushed; being intimidated by parents and by the presence of knives in schools.
He said it was “remarkable” principals had been absent in policy discussions when the trend towards considering quitting had been long term.
He said great policy initiatives rolled out by the federal government wouldn’t be achieved without principals staying in their jobs and reporting high job satisfaction and that many of the issues facing educators came down to resourcing, including the increased burden of administrative tasks and schools falling short of full funding:
If we see numbers [of principals] walking it will critically collapse parts of the government’s agenda.
The sheer quantity of work remains at its highest, which means a lack of time to focus on teaching and learning.
The best people to advise on these requirements are those in the situation, centralised bureaucracies do what they do best – which is scale. Ask principals what they need – get implementation in hands of those who know their communities.
There are very optimistic signs right now – consultation and inclusivity I’ve not seen in a long time, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating. This needs to be manifested into policy change.
Physical violence towards school principals up 76.5% since 2011, report says
Tory Shepherd
Almost half of Australia’s school principals were subjected to physical violence – mainly from students – while more than half were threatened with violence, according to a new report.
The Australian Catholic University surveyed 2300 principals for its latest Institute for Positive Psychology and Education survey.
It found instances of physical violence have increased 76.5% since 2011.
Co-lead investigator, Prof Herb Marsh, said teachers were remarkably resilient in the face of violence, as well as the risk of burnout, increasing job demands, and anxiety. He said:
It is deeply concerning that offensive behaviour towards school leaders and teachers persists and appears to be on the rise.
Around 48% of principals were subjected to physical violence, of which 96.3% was at the hands of students, and 53.9% received threats of violence. More than half the principals intend to quit or retire early. Marsh said:
Assuming only half of those who agreed or strongly agreed to quit acted on this response, there would be an exodus of more than 500 school leaders – the data strongly suggests this would be experienced school leaders.
Emily Wind
Emily here, reporting for blog duty! Many thanks to Martin for kicking things off. I’ll bring you our rolling coverage today.
As always, you can get in touch if you see something that needs attention on the blog: via X, @emilywindwrites or you send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
Let’s go.
Fewer Australians claiming welfare as jobs market improves
More Australians are leaving income benefit schemes after just a year despite widespread perceptions of a nationwide increase in welfare dependency, research from e61 Institute showed, Australian Associated Press reports.
Data showing nearly half a million people were on unemployment benefit schemes for two or more years in 2023 can be misleading “at first glance”, economist Matt Nolan says.
Nolan said:
The narrative of increasing dependency is actually quite false.
The overall number of long-term welfare recipients has fallen to “record lows,” according to e61, which bills itself as a non-partisan economic research institute.
“Individuals are being shifted from, or deemed ineligible for, other benefit payments and folded into the JSP,” e61 said, describing JobSeeker as a “catch all” program.
More than 50% of people on JobSeeker have exited the scheme after one year, according to e61.
Roughly 2.7% of those between the ages of 22 and 60 are now long-term recipients of JobSseeker payments, e61 says.
An improving jobs market is also helping cut welfare recipient numbers.
Australia’s unemployment rate fell to 3.7% in February, down from the 4.1% reported in January.
Tasmanian boy dies after single vehicle crash
Tasmania police say a young boy from the state’s north-east has died after a single vehicle crash in Lefroy.
The crash was reported just after 1.20am today. The cause of the crash is being investigated, police said in a statement.
A report will be prepared for the Coroner.
Federal government joins Nasa satellite program to ‘monitor Australia’s lands and coasts from space’
Australia’s vast spaces will be analytically mapped by satellites after the federal government agreed to join a US satellite program led by Nasa, Australian Associated Press reports.
The government has agreed to join Landsat Next, a program that maps and observes the changing surface of the earth.
Minister for resources and northern Australia, Madeleine King, signed an in-principle agreement for Australia to partner in the Landsat Next program in Washington this month.
It supports mining exploration, monitoring of the earth’s climate, water, environment and crops, as well a management of floods, fires and natural disasters.
Landsat Next develops on a previous program – Landsat 9 – with three identical satellites expected to make up the fleet that can detect 26 spectral bands spanning visible and infrared light.
The satellites will aid scientists, farmers and businesses better observe and predict weather patterns and changes to bushfires.
Higher-resolution and detailed images of the earth’s surface as small as the width of a tennis court can be taken by the satellites.
The government will commit $207.4m over four years to the project, and ongoing funding, that will enhance satellite ground station facilities in Alice Springs.
Ms King said the agreement is vital for minerals and agriculture industries and will be an essential tool in managing natural disasters.
She said:
Landsat data supported emergency services in Queensland in January to help mitigate potential flooding in Queensland ahead of Cyclone Kirrily.
I am delighted that we will continue this partnership with the US for decades to come.
The Landsat Next satellites will mean we can monitor Australia’s lands and coasts from space. It is the biggest and best selfie we could take of our great country.
It is expected the Landsat Next program will launch in 2030.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our week-ending rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and I’ve got some of the top overnight stories before my colleague Emily Wind takes you through the rest of the day.
With high-level talks between Australian and UK defence and foreign ministers starting in Adelaide today, the government will seek to prop up the Aukus pact by sending $4.6bn to clear bottlenecks at the Rolls-Royce nuclear reactor production line in Derby. We’ll have every development from the meetings as they happen.
Dennis Richardson, a former Australian ambassador to the US, has weighed into the debate about the fallout of Donald Trump’s broadsides against Kevin Rudd by indirectly warning the Coalition not to try to make political capital out of the row. The respected former senior bureaucrat and head of mission in Washington DC has cautioned that the greatest diplomatic risk lies in political point-scoring around the former US president’s comments, and not in the comments themselves. “Those who pursue this matter will be doing so for political reasons, divorced from the national interest,” Richardson said.
Koalas are among the most recognisable creatures on earth, a symbol of Australia’s unique wildlife and frequently used as a tool of soft power. But the eucalypt-munching marsupials once killed in the millions for their fur, are dwindling in number and under serious existential threat from the global heating and land clearing that is destroying their habitat. The New South Wales government is due to host a “koala summit” today to hear what can be done to halt the alarming fall in numbers.