The Karmel Report, published in 1973, contained recommendations for the introduction of new educational programs in all Australian primary and secondary schools. Many of the new programs aimed at overcoming the educational disadvantages of some children and schools. This study examines the effects of the report on five Launceston (Tasmania) primary schools which were part of the state education system. Information about the administrative impact of the report on schools and the system was obtained mostly from structured interviews with officers of the Education Department including the five principals. It was found that, in administering the new projects, principals had incurred an increase in workload, a change in work pattern and a shift in leadership style. It was found also that the workload associated with the projects was an unequal load and fell heaviest on the principals of disadvantaged schools.