{"id":8747,"date":"2022-07-01T15:51:06","date_gmt":"2022-07-01T07:51:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?page_id=8747"},"modified":"2026-09-18T08:56:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T00:56:13","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":4275,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"4871,4709,8087,8490,6911,4691","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8747","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"page_components":false,"controls":{"page_switch_toggle":false,"support_toggle":false,"breadcrumb_toggle":true,"navi_toggle":true,"section_nav_toggle":true},"homepage":{"":null,"featured":{"heading":"Featured","articles":[32257,32252,32255]},"popular":{"heading":"Popular","articles":[{"ID":32236,"post_author":"4457","post_date":"2026-09-14 09:41:54","post_date_gmt":"2026-09-14 01:41:54","post_content":"\n

A $10 million Australian Government campaign celebrating inspirational teachers risked overlooking the workplace conditions driving educators from the profession, according to new research<\/a> led by Curtin University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Be That Teacher<\/em> campaign launched in October 2023 as part of the Federal Government's National Teacher Workforce Action Plan, aiming to elevate the profession\u2019s status and encourage more Australians to consider teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To test its effectiveness, researchers analysed materials produced between January 2022 and December 2025, including government policy documents, ministerial speeches, interviews, media releases and material from the campaign\u2019s archived website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lead author Dr Saul Karnovsky<\/a>, from Curtin\u2019s School of Education<\/a>, said celebrating teachers and improving the profession\u2019s public image were worthwhile goals but inspirational messages could not replace action on the conditions affecting recruitment and retention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe problem arises when inspiration starts becoming a policy response to a workforce crisis,\u201d Dr Karnovsky said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGovernments are telling prospective teachers this is meaningful work, they can change a child\u2019s life and they can be \u2018that teacher\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose things can absolutely be true, but they don\u2019t remove excessive workloads, occupational stress, administrative demands or the other working conditions research consistently tells us are pushing teachers out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research found the campaign presented teaching as emotionally rewarding and morally meaningful through stories of individual educators inspiring students and transforming their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It argued this focus shifted attention away from the material and structural conditions shaping teachers\u2019 work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Karnovsky said relying on the image of an extraordinary teacher could also place responsibility for overcoming difficult conditions on individual educators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe keep returning to the idea of the extraordinary individual teacher who changes lives,\u201d Dr Karnovsky said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut teaching isn\u2019t sustained by extraordinary individuals continually overcoming difficult conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is sustained by workplaces in which teachers have the time, resources, professional support and conditions required to do their jobs well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The paper cites previous Australian research linking teacher turnover and retention to workload, workplace conditions, stress and wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It notes research in which 46 per cent of Australian teachers reported considering leaving their jobs within 12 months because of workload and stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also cites a survey of more than 22,000 Australian teachers, in which 86 per cent described their work as emotionally demanding and 58 per cent attributed their stress to excessive workload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Karnovsky said describing teaching as a calling or vocation could unintentionally reinforce expectations educators should tolerate poor conditions because their work was socially important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we continually describe teaching as an opportunity to make a difference, we need to be careful about what else we\u2019re asking teachers to accept,\u201d Dr Karnovsky said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMeaningful work should not require people to sacrifice their own wellbeing to prove how committed they are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Karnovsky said recruitment campaigns could help counter negative perceptions of teaching, but improving the profession\u2019s image should not substitute for improving the profession itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf Australia wants more people to become teachers, telling better stories about teaching may help,\u201d Dr Karnovsky said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we want those people to remain teachers 10 or 20 years later, workload, resourcing, professional autonomy, safety and working conditions must also be part of the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The paper calls for teacher wellbeing to be understood in the context of institutional and workplace arrangements, rather than treated primarily as an individual educator\u2019s responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It argues recruitment and retention policies should give greater attention to the material and relational conditions of teachers\u2019 work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The open-access paper, Crafting the inspirational teacher: governing through affect as policy response to teacher recruitment in Australia<\/em>, was published in the Journal of Education Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Inspiration alone won\u2019t solve Australia\u2019s teacher shortage, study reveals","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"inspiration-alone-wont-solve-australias-teacher-shortage-study-reveals","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2026-09-14 09:41:59","post_modified_gmt":"2026-09-14 01:41:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=media-release&p=32236","menu_order":0,"post_type":"media-release","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":32221,"post_author":"4457","post_date":"2026-09-10 09:31:51","post_date_gmt":"2026-09-10 01:31:51","post_content":"\n

Four Curtin University researchers have secured almost $5 million in Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowships funding to tackle major challenges facing Australia: artificial intelligence, online influence, Indigenous language revitalisation and low-emissions ironmaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ARC Future Fellowships scheme supports outstanding mid-career researchers to undertake ambitious research and build Australia's research capability and leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Curtin University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Professor Melinda Fitzgerald<\/a> said the funding for the four-year projects recognised the quality and impact of Curtin's research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese fellowships support outstanding researchers whose work is tackling complex social, cultural and technological challenges that matter to communities, industry and policymakers,\u201d Professor Fitzgerald said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Sender Dovchin<\/a> will develop a new approach<\/a> to reclaim Indigenous languages in Aboriginal early childhood education to help communities preserve and revitalise languages while strengthening cultural knowledge for future generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Future of Work Institute\u2019s<\/a> (FOWI) Professor Patrick Dunlop<\/a> secured funding to examine how generative artificial intelligence is reshaping recruitment, job assessment and staffing practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Dunlop will investigate how AI is changing applicant behaviour and workplace expectations to help organisations develop fairer and more effective approaches to identifying talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Crystal Abidin<\/a> from the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry<\/a> will investigate how social media influencers understand and practise ethical behaviour online to help build healthier digital cultures and improve digital literacy for young Australians considering careers in the creator economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Yun Yu<\/a> from the Western Australian School of Mines<\/a> will develop an innovative process to produce high-quality synthetic gas and pre-reduced iron ore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This technology will bring significant benefits to Australia\u2019s energy and iron industries and foster the growth of the biofuel sector in Australia's rural and regional areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese projects highlight the breadth of expertise at Curtin, spanning the humanities, education, business and engineering,\u201d Professor Fitzgerald said. \u201cTogether they demonstrate how research across disciplines can generate new knowledge, solve real-world challenges and create positive outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n","post_title":"Quartet secures millions for research into AI, emissions, influencers and more","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"quartet-secures-millions-for-research-into-ai-emissions-influencers-and-more","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2026-09-10 10:43:45","post_modified_gmt":"2026-09-10 02:43:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=media-release&p=32221","menu_order":0,"post_type":"media-release","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":32144,"post_author":"4493","post_date":"2026-09-10 06:31:00","post_date_gmt":"2026-09-09 22:31:00","post_content":"\n

Efforts to prevent dementia may be placing too much responsibility on people\u2019s choices while overlooking the wider social and environmental conditions that shape brain health, according to new Curtin University research published in The Lancet Public Health<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers mapped 61 potentially modifiable dementia risk and protective factors to assess whether prevention efforts are overlooking the broader social, environmental and policy influences that shape lifelong brain health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study revealed a strong emphasis on factors addressed through individual motivation and behaviour change, despite many dementia risks being influenced by conditions beyond a person\u2019s direct control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers found far less attention is paid to social and environmental influences such as education, housing, neighbourhood safety, healthcare access, clean air and social connection \u2014 despite growing evidence these factors affect people\u2019s ability to protect their brain health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dementia affects an estimated 57 million people worldwide, and this is projected to reach 139 million by 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Australia, about 446,500 people are living with dementia, with the number expected to exceed one million by 2065. Dementia is now the leading cause of death for Australians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eqYjIxUxqdI&list=PLOtDjpu6kUPTcPGD1xYebMOKymr7Dg9T8&index=1\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lead author Dr Jennifer Dunne<\/a> from Curtin University\u2019s Dementia Centre of Excellence<\/a> said the findings challenged the way dementia prevention has traditionally been framed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMuch of dementia prevention is focused on what individuals can do to reduce their risk \u2014 exercise more, eat well, stay socially connected and manage their health,\u201d Dr Dunne said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese are obviously important for a range of reasons, but our study shows that many of the factors that shape dementia risk do not sit solely within an individual\u2019s control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere people live, the education they receive, the healthcare they can access, the air they breathe and the social and economic conditions they experience across their lives can all shape brain health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we focus predominantly on individual behaviour, we risk asking people to make healthier choices without addressing the conditions that make those choices possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chair in Dementia at Curtin\u2019s enAble Institute<\/a> and co-author Professor Blossom Stephan<\/a> said the findings showed dementia prevention needed to take a broader, population-wide approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe next step is turning this evidence into action. Dementia prevention should support healthy choices while also improving education, neighbourhoods, healthcare access and other social conditions that shape brain health across the population throughout a person\u2019s life,\u201d Professor Stephan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other collaborating institutions included NeuRA, UNSW Sydney and Dementia Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dementia Australia Chief Executive Officer Professor Tanya Buchanan said with 78 million people expected to be living with dementia worldwide by 2030, it was vital to make sure everyone was supported to lower their risk of dementia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDementia risk reduction is a collective responsibility and it is vital everyone has access to the supports and services they need to support their brain health,\u201d Professor Buchanan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlongside addressing brain health behaviour at an individual level, we need policies and actions from governments and organisations to make it easier for everyone to lower their risk of dementia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The paper, \u2018Beyond individual-level approaches to dementia prevention: a socioecological reappraisal<\/em>\u2019 <\/em>published in The Lancet Public Health<\/em><\/a> journal, can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","post_title":"Dementia prevention can\u2019t rely on individual choices alone, new study finds","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"dementia-prevention-cant-rely-on-individual-choices-alone-new-study-finds","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2026-09-10 08:54:15","post_modified_gmt":"2026-09-10 00:54:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=media-release&p=32144","menu_order":0,"post_type":"media-release","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}]},"events":{"heading":"Curtin Events","content":"

Find out what\u2019s on at Curtin. There are a wide range of events both on the campus and online, with something for everyone.<\/p>\n","button":{"title":"See all Curtin Events","url":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/events","target":""}},"videos":{"heading":"Videos","link":"\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UChBLhSHywtT4tCbwDdwubFA"},"podcasts":{"heading":"Podcast - The Future Of","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/podcasts"},"explore":{"heading":"Explore all topics","topics":[{"term_id":3,"name":"Campus and global community","slug":"campus-and-global-community","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":2459,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":79,"name":"Health","slug":"health","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":79,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":354,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":40,"name":"Technology","slug":"technology","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":40,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":291,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":104,"name":"Space and physics","slug":"space-and-physics","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":104,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":58,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":41,"name":"Environment","slug":"environment","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":41,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":151,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":28,"name":"Art and design","slug":"art-and-design","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":28,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":65,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":49,"name":"Business, innovation, management and law","slug":"business-innovation-and-law","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":49,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Get advice on courses and careers in business, innovation, management and law. ","parent":0,"count":175,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":82,"name":"Society and culture","slug":"society-and-culture","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":82,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":82,"filter":"raw"}]}}},"featured_image":false,"author_meta":{"first_name":"Curtin","last_name":"University","display_name":"Curtin University"},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-28 10:33:16","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"post_tag","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4275"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8747\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}