Schools across Australia are experiencing significant staffing pressures, with teacher shortages now widely recognised as a systemic and enduring issue. This report examines the lived experiences of teachers during unprecedented shortages, focusing on those who remain in hard-to-staff Australian schools and how systems can better support retention.

Education policy can either worsen or offset social disadvantages. It can bridge or widen gaps, and it can drive or impede social mobility. With a focus on equitable, needs-based funding, this report argues for increased investment in public education as the key to reversing Queensland’s declining education outcomes.