A national conversation on teacher safety

  • Brand Development
  • Workshops & Engagment
  • Campaign Concepting
  • Strategy & Planning
  • Design & Publications

WHY THEY CALLED US

Through its legal work, Travis Schultz & Partners had identified a growing concern around violence against Queensland teachers and teacher aides. While anecdotal evidence from injured educators suggested assaults were increasing, there was little publicly available data demonstrating the scale of the problem.

After obtaining Right to Information (RTI) data from the Queensland Department of Education, the firm engaged Fresh PR & Marketing to help analyse the findings, develop a compelling media narrative and generate public discussion around teacher safety, workplace injury and employer duty of care.

CHALLENGES

  • While teacher assaults had been discussed publicly before, the issue was often viewed as anecdotal and lacked a clear news hook.
  • Complex government datasets required careful analysis to identify a credible and newsworthy angle, translating the findings into a story that would resonate with journalists, educators, parents and the broader community.
  • It was necessary to establish whether the data supported a suspected disconnect between rising teacher assault-related injuries, declining student suspensions and comparatively low WorkCover claim rates.
  • The campaign needed to position Travis Schultz & Partners as an authoritative voice on the issue while navigating a sensitive topic involving schools, children, workplace safety and mental health.

OBJECTIVES

  • Raise awareness of increasing student violence against Queensland teachers and teacher aides while reinforcing the firm’s position as a trusted authority on workplace injury, teacher safety and employer duty of care.
  • Generate widespread media coverage across Queensland.
  • Build public awareness of the growing disconnect between rising teacher assaults and the support available to injured educators.
  • Use original RTI data to drive a credible, evidence-based media narrative.
  • Create opportunities for ongoing commentary and thought leadership beyond the initial media release.

WHAT WE DID

Fresh worked closely with the Travis Schultz & Partners team to develop a data-led media story grounded in original research. Our team:

  • Reviewed and interpreted RTI data obtained by Travis Schultz & Partners from the Queensland Department of Education relating to teacher assaults, WorkCover claims and school disciplinary action.
  • Drafted the media release, translating complex RTI data into a clear, evidence-based media narrative, identifying the trends, inconsistencies and headline findings most relevant to journalists, policymakers and the broader community: https://freshprm.com.au/teacher-assaults-surge-more-than-4000-as-suspensions-fall-and-workcover-claims-flatline/
  • Calculated and validated that reported assault-related injuries involving Queensland teachers and teacher aides had increased by more than 4,000 per cent in just two years, establishing the headline statistic that underpinned media engagement.
  • Worked closely with TSP Partner Trent Johnson to shape legal commentary and position the findings within the broader context of workplace safety, reporting practices and support for injured teachers.
  • Developed and executed a targeted media pitching strategy, and undertook proactive media outreach across metropolitan, regional and national media outlets, securing engagement from key education, workplace safety and public affairs journalists.
  • Coordinated interviews, prepared spokesperson, managed media enquiries and maintained ongoing journalist engagement, helping transform a single data-led story into a sustained media conversation that generated coverage across radio, television, print, magazine and online outlets between December 2025 and March 2026.

RESULTS

The media story transformed a data-driven workplace safety issue into a sustained public conversation that extended well beyond the initial launch. Results included:

  • 76 media placements across Queensland and nationally in print, online, TV and radio.
  • 30+ radio broadcasts, including extensive ABC Queensland coverage and a 20-minute feature interview.
  • Statewide television coverage across all WIN News Queensland markets.
  • Featured in the February edition of The Australian Women’s Weekly, with Trent Johnson’s commentary included in a major three-page feature exploring violence in Australian classrooms, written by respected journalist and author Genevieve Gannon and reaching a national audience of more than 1.2 million readers.
  • Front-page promotion and feature coverage in The Courier-Mail, including an opinion feature from The Editor which was syndicated nationally signalling the issue had evolved into broader public and policy discussion.
  • Coverage syndicated across major News Corp publications including the The Gold Coast Bulletin, Cairns Post, Herald Sun, Daily Telegraph, Adelaide Now, Townsville Bulletin, The Mercury and more.
  • The story generated ongoing journalist interest well beyond the initial launch, prompting additional reporting from national and state Education Editors and further investigations into classroom violence and teacher wellbeing.
  • Helped shift the conversation from anecdotal reports of classroom violence to an evidence-based discussion supported by original RTI data.
  • Elevated the issue beyond a workplace injury story to a broader public conversation about the growing “crisis in the classroom” and teacher safety.
  • Established Travis Schultz & Partners as a leading media commentator on teacher safety, workplace injury and duty of care issues.

Most importantly, the media story elevated an issue that had largely been discussed behind closed doors into a statewide and national conversation about violence in classrooms and the support available to injured teachers.

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