Business Conditions and Sentiments

This release has ceased

Insights into Australian business conditions and sentiments

Reference period

June 2026

Released

30/06/2026

Next release Ceased

Release date and time

30/06/2026 11:30am AEST

Key statistics

Almost half (46%) of businesses reported operating expenses had increased over the past four weeks.
Fuel prices (71%) and business overheads (65%) reported as the main reasons for increased operating expenses.
58% of businesses made changes to business operations, with almost one in six (15%) of these businesses increasing prices in response to fuel prices or availability.

This is the final Business Conditions and Sentiments release.

The ABS would like to thank all businesses for their involvement in the survey.

The survey of Business Conditions and Sentiments provides insights on changing business behaviour and sentiments in response to fuel prices or availability impacted by the closing of the Strait of Hormuz.

The survey was conducted between 4 June and 15 June 2026.

In responding to the survey, businesses were asked to provide a best estimate only, without accessing records or reports.

Business size categories used in this release:

Small (0-19 persons employed);
Medium (20-199 persons employed); and
Large (200 or more persons employed).

For information on the survey sample, response rates and the terminology used in this release, please refer to the Methodology.

Supply chain disruptions

Businesses were asked if they were currently experiencing any supply chain disruptions. A supply chain is a logistics network between a business and its suppliers to produce and distribute a product to customers. Supply chain disruptions refer to difficulty in getting the materials needed to produce and sell goods and services.

In June 2026, one in six (16%) businesses experienced supply chain disruptions, unchanged from May 2026.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing (35%) reported the highest proportion of businesses experiencing supply chain disruptions in June 2026, followed by Manufacturing (28%), Wholesale trade (27%) and Retail trade (22%).

Businesses experiencing supply chain disruptions(a), by industry
	May-26 (%)	Jun-26 (%)
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing	42	35
Manufacturing	21	28
Wholesale Trade	24	27
Construction	14	22
Retail Trade	31	22
Administrative and Support Services	15	20
Other Services	14	19
Information Media and Telecommunications	17	18
Transport, Postal and Warehousing	18	14
Education and Training	5	14
Accommodation and Food Services	25	10
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services	9	9
Health Care and Social Assistance	4	9
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services	10	6
Mining	3	4
Financial and Insurance Services	5	4
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	9	4
Arts and Recreation Services	16	1

Businesses experiencing supply chain disruptions(a), by industry

["","May-26","Jun-26"]

[["Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing","Manufacturing","Wholesale Trade","Construction","Retail Trade","Administrative and Support Services","Other Services","Information Media and Telecommunications","Transport, Postal and Warehousing","Education and Training","Accommodation and Food Services","Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services","Health Care and Social Assistance","Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services","Mining","Financial and Insurance Services","Professional, Scientific and Technical Services","Arts and Recreation Services"],[[42],[21],[24],[14],[31],[15],[14],[17],[18],[5],[25],[9],[4],[10],[3],[5],[9],[16]],[[35],[28],[27],[22],[22],[20],[19],[18],[14],[14],[10],[9],[9],[6],[4],[4],[4],[1]]]

[]

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Proportion of responding businesses.

Supply chain disruptions(a), by business size
	May-26 (%)	Jun-26 (%)
Small businesses	16	15
Medium businesses	17	18
Large businesses	14	13
All businesses	16	16

Supply chain disruptions(a), by business size

["","May-26","Jun-26"]

[["Small businesses","Medium businesses","Large businesses","All businesses"],[[16],[17],[14],[16]],[[15],[18],[13],[16]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false},{"value":"1","axis_id":"1","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Proportion of responding businesses.

Businesses experiencing supply chain disruptions provided information about the extent to which they were being affected. In June 2026:

33% were affected to a great extent (e.g. major delays or cannot obtain certain items and significant impact on revenue), down 5 percentage points from May 2026.
66% were affected to a small extent (e.g. some delays but little impact on revenue), up 10 percentage points from May 2026.

Impact of fuel prices or availability

Almost three quarters (73%) of businesses reported fuel prices or availability had a negative impact on the business, up 1 percentage point from May 2026.

Industries which had the highest proportion of businesses reporting a large negative impact due to current fuel prices or availability included:

Agriculture, forestry and fishing – 50% (down 2 percentage points)
Transport, postal and warehousing – 48% (down 7 percentage points)
Accommodation and food services – 36% (down 9 percentage points).

Businesses negatively impacted by fuel prices or availability(a)(b), by industry
	May-26 (%)	Jun-26 (%)
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing	83	93
Transport, Postal and Warehousing	86	88
Construction	75	85
Manufacturing	87	84
Wholesale Trade	85	84
Retail Trade	74	82
Accommodation and Food Services	85	80
Health Care and Social Assistance	75	72
Administrative and Support Services	63	70
Other Services	78	69
Mining	69	67
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services	61	63
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	62	59
Education and Training	54	59
Information Media and Telecommunications	63	55
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services	53	54
Arts and Recreation Services	74	54
Financial and Insurance Services	55	48

Businesses negatively impacted by fuel prices or availability(a)(b), by industry

["","May-26","Jun-26"]

[["Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing","Transport, Postal and Warehousing","Construction","Manufacturing","Wholesale Trade","Retail Trade","Accommodation and Food Services","Health Care and Social Assistance","Administrative and Support Services","Other Services","Mining","Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services","Professional, Scientific and Technical Services","Education and Training","Information Media and Telecommunications","Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services","Arts and Recreation Services","Financial and Insurance Services"],[[83],[86],[75],[87],[85],[74],[85],[75],[63],[78],[69],[61],[62],[54],[63],[53],[74],[55]],[[93],[88],[85],[84],[84],[82],[80],[72],[70],[69],[67],[63],[59],[59],[55],[54],[54],[48]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false},{"value":"1","axis_id":"1","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Proportion of responding businesses.
Includes both large negative impact and small negative impact.

Impact on business operations

In June 2026, 58% of responding businesses made changes to business operations due to fuel prices or availability, down 2 percentage points from May 2026:

44% absorbed cost increases, down 3 percentage points
15% increased prices, up 3 percentage points
6% implemented a fuel surcharge or levy (unchanged)
5% changed or delayed production targets, schedules or volumes, down 1 percentage point.

Businesses in Agriculture, forestry and fishing (71%), Manufacturing (68%), Construction (58%) and Wholesale trade (55%) were most likely to absorb cost increases.

In June 2026, the top four industries with the highest proportion of businesses who increased prices in response to fuel prices or availability were:

Transport, postal and warehousing – 37%, up 12 percentage points
Wholesale trade – 35%, up 6 percentage points
Retail trade – 22%, up 11 percentage points
Construction – 22%, up 9 percentage points.

Those in Transport, postal and warehousing (32%) and Wholesale trade (17%) were most likely to implement a fuel surcharge or levy in response to fuel prices.

Businesses in Agriculture, forestry and fishing (17%, down 10 percentage points) and Education and training (11%, up 10 percentage points) were most likely to change or delay production targets, schedules or volumes.

The industries where businesses were least likely to make changes to business operations in response to fuel prices or availability in June 2026 were Financial and insurance services (63%), Arts and recreation services (61%) and Health care and social assistance (53%).

Changes made to business operations in response to fuel prices or availability(a)(b)
	May-26 (%)	Jun-26 (%)
Absorbed cost increases	48	44
Increased prices	11	15
Implemented a fuel surcharge or levy	6	6
Changed or delayed production targets, schedules or volumes	6	5
Other	4	2
Changed operating hours	3	1

Changes made to business operations in response to fuel prices or availability(a)(b)

["","May-26","Jun-26"]

[["Absorbed cost increases","Increased prices","Implemented a fuel surcharge or levy","Changed or delayed production targets, schedules or volumes","Other","Changed operating hours"],[[48],[11],[6],[6],[4],[3]],[[44],[15],[6],[5],[2],[1]]]

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Proportion of responding businesses.
Businesses could choose more than one option.

Impact on workforce

Almost one in four businesses (24%) made changes to their workforce in response to current fuel prices or availability:

14% reduced or suspended non-essential travel activities to reduce fuel consumption (down 1 percentage point)
8% made reductions to the size of their current workforce (down 1 percentage point).

Changes made to workforce in response to fuel prices or availability(a)(b)
	May-26 (%)	Jun-26 (%)
Reduced or suspended non-essential travel activities to reduce fuel consumption	15	14
Reduced the size of current workforce	9	8
Encouraged staff to work from home/remotely or carpool to reduce commuting costs	5	5
Changed rosters to reduce daily travel	6	5
Changed rebates or allowances for employees who use their own vehicle for work purposes	1	1
Other	3	1

Changes made to workforce in response to fuel prices or availability(a)(b)

["","May-26","Jun-26"]

[["Reduced or suspended non-essential travel activities to reduce fuel consumption","Reduced the size of current  workforce","Encouraged staff to work from home\/remotely or carpool to reduce commuting costs","Changed rosters to reduce daily travel","Changed rebates or allowances for employees who use their own vehicle for work purposes","Other"],[[15],[9],[5],[6],[1],[3]],[[14],[8],[5],[5],[1],[1]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false},{"value":"1","axis_id":"1","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Proportion of responding businesses.
Changes made in the past four weeks. With the exception of ‘No changes made’ and ‘Don’t know’, businesses could select more than one response.

Businesses in Accommodation and food services (28%) were most likely to reduce the size of their current workforce, down 5 percentage points from May 2026.

Businesses in Agriculture, forestry and fishing and Rental, hiring and real estate services (both 20%), Professional, scientific, and technical services (18%) and Accommodation and food services (16%) were most likely to reduce or suspend non-essential travel activities.

The largest movements for changes to workforce were:

Agriculture, forestry and fishing – reduced or suspended non-essential travel activities (20%, down 13 percentage points)
Arts and recreation services – reduced the size of their current workforce (0%, down 12 percentage points)
Information media and telecommunications – reduced or suspended non-essential travel activities (12%, up 12 percentage points)
Administrative and support services – reduced or suspended non-essential travel activities (7%, down 11 percentage points).

In June 2026, medium sized businesses were most likely to reduce the size of their workforce (14%, up 1 percentage point) compared to small (7%, down 1 percentage point) and large businesses (6%, up 3 percentage points).

Impact on capital investment plans

Businesses were asked whether they had delayed or cancelled capital investment plans over the past four weeks in response to fuel prices or availability.

In June 2026, just over one in seven businesses (15%) reported delaying or cancelling capital investment plans due to fuel prices or availability, a decrease of 2 percentage points since May 2026.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing (28%, down 3 percentage points) and Wholesale trade (24%, down 7 percentage points) had the highest proportion of businesses who reported they had delayed or cancelled capital investment plans, followed by Transport, postal and warehousing (23%, down 2 percentage points) and Accommodation and food services (21%, up 2 percentage points).

Approximately 10% of businesses were unsure whether they had delayed or cancelled capital investment plans, and this was consistent across small, medium and large businesses (10%, 10% and 11% respectively), and is similar to May 2026 results.

Delayed or cancelled capital investment plans in response to fuel prices or availability(a)(b), by industry
	May-26 (%)	Jun-26 (%)
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing	31	28
Wholesale Trade	32	24
Transport, Postal and Warehousing	25	23
Accommodation and Food Services	20	21
Retail Trade	14	20
Administrative and Support Services	12	19
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services	20	18
Other Services	16	17
Education and Training	13	15
Mining	10	14
Manufacturing	23	12
Information Media and Telecommunications	11	12
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	16	12
Construction	16	11
Financial and Insurance Services	12	10
Health Care and Social Assistance	10	5
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services	1	1
Arts and Recreation Services	5	1

Delayed or cancelled capital investment plans in response to fuel prices or availability(a)(b), by industry

["","May-26","Jun-26"]

[["Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing","Wholesale Trade","Transport, Postal and Warehousing","Accommodation and Food Services","Retail Trade","Administrative and Support Services","Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services","Other Services","Education and Training","Mining","Manufacturing","Information Media and Telecommunications","Professional, Scientific and Technical Services","Construction","Financial and Insurance Services","Health Care and Social Assistance","Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services","Arts and Recreation Services"],[[31],[32],[25],[20],[14],[12],[20],[16],[13],[10],[23],[11],[16],[16],[12],[10],[1],[5]],[[28],[24],[23],[21],[20],[19],[18],[17],[15],[14],[12],[12],[12],[11],[10],[5],[1],[1]]]

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Proportion of responding businesses.
Changes made in the past four weeks.

Need for assistance or support

Businesses were asked whether they needed assistance or support in response to fuel prices or availability, and if so, whether they intended to seek assistance or support in the next four weeks.

Almost one in eight (13%) businesses indicated they needed assistance or support in response to fuel prices or availability in June 2026, a decrease of 3 percentage points from May 2026.

Type of assistance needed(a)(b), by business size
	Small business (%)	Medium businesses (%)	Large businesses (%)	All businesses (%)
Financial assistance or support	11	13	5	11
Advisory assistance or support	3	1	1	3
Other	0	2	0	0

Type of assistance needed(a)(b), by business size

["","Small business","Medium businesses","Large businesses","All businesses"]

[["Financial assistance or support","Advisory assistance or support","Other"],[[11],[3],[0]],[[13],[1],[2]],[[5],[1],[0]],[[11],[3],[0]]]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false},{"value":"1","axis_id":"1","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Proportion of responding businesses.
With the exception of ‘No assistance or support needed’ and ‘Don’t know’, businesses could select more than one response.

Businesses needing assistance or support(a)(b), by business size
	May-26 (%)	Jun-26 (%)
Small businesses	17	13
Medium businesses	13	15
Large businesses	11	6
All businesses	16	13

Businesses needing assistance or support(a)(b), by business size

["","May-26","Jun-26"]

[["Small businesses","Medium businesses","Large businesses","All businesses"],[[17],[13],[11],[16]],[[13],[15],[6],[13]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false},{"value":"1","axis_id":"1","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Proportion of responding businesses.
With the exception of ‘No assistance or support needed’ and ‘Don’t know’, businesses could select more than one response.

Businesses reporting a need for financial assistance or support was highest in Transport, postal and warehousing (23%, up 1 percentage point), Retail trade (19%, down 1 percentage point) and Agriculture, forestry and fishing (18%, down 6 percentage points).

Medium businesses were more likely to require financial assistance or support (13%, up 2 percentage points) compared to small (11%, down 3 percentage points) and large (5%, down 2 percentage points) in June 2026.

Of those businesses that indicated assistance or support was needed over a third (35%) indicated they would seek assistance in the next four weeks (down 7 percentage points).

Changes in business revenue

Businesses were asked to provide an indication of how revenue had changed over the past four weeks and how it was expected to change over the next four weeks. Businesses were asked to provide a best estimate only.

In June 2026, almost one third (31%) of businesses reported revenue had decreased over the previous four weeks. The top four industries reporting the highest proportion of business recording a decrease in business revenue were:

Information media and telecommunications (48%, up 2 percentage points)
Wholesale trade (48%, down 1 percentage point)
Accommodation and food services (45%, down 9 percentage points)
Administrative and support services (43%, up 4 percentage points).

Businesses reporting revenue decreased(a)(b), by industry
	May-26 (%)	Jun-26 (%)
Information Media and Telecommunications	46	48
Wholesale Trade	48	48
Accommodation and Food Services	53	45
Administrative and Support Services	39	43
Other Services	34	38
Manufacturing	42	35
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services	32	35
Transport, Postal and Warehousing	47	34
Construction	34	31
Retail Trade	45	31
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing	35	28
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	33	27
Mining	12	25
Education and Training	28	25
Arts and Recreation Services	35	25
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services	15	23
Health Care and Social Assistance	26	20
Financial and Insurance Services	22	17

Businesses reporting revenue decreased(a)(b), by industry

["","May-26","Jun-26"]

[["Information Media and Telecommunications","Wholesale Trade","Accommodation and Food Services","Administrative and Support Services","Other Services","Manufacturing","Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services","Transport, Postal and Warehousing","Construction","Retail Trade","Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing","Professional, Scientific and Technical Services","Mining","Education and Training","Arts and Recreation Services","Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services","Health Care and Social Assistance","Financial and Insurance Services"],[[46],[48],[53],[39],[34],[42],[32],[47],[34],[45],[35],[33],[12],[28],[35],[15],[26],[22]],[[48],[48],[45],[43],[38],[35],[35],[34],[31],[31],[28],[27],[25],[25],[25],[23],[20],[17]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false},{"value":"1","axis_id":"1","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Proportion of responding businesses.
Over the past four weeks.

Expectation of revenue over next four weeks

Almost one quarter (24%) of businesses reported they expected revenue to decrease over the next four weeks, down 4 percentage points from May 2026. Information media and telecommunications (36%), Administrative and support services (31%), Accommodation and food services (30%) and Wholesale trade (29%) had the highest proportion of businesses expecting revenue to decrease over the next four weeks.

Businesses reporting a decrease in expected revenue(a), by industry
	May-26 (%)	Jun-26 (%)
Information Media and Telecommunications	34	36
Administrative and Support Services	29	31
Accommodation and Food Services	36	30
Wholesale Trade	51	29
Construction	31	28
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing	35	27
Retail Trade	41	26
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services	22	25
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	27	24
Arts and Recreation Services	14	24
Mining	21	23
Transport, Postal and Warehousing	28	23
Education and Training	17	23
Other Services	16	21
Financial and Insurance Services	15	14
Manufacturing	26	13
Health Care and Social Assistance	14	10
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services	13	1

Businesses reporting a decrease in expected revenue(a), by industry

["","May-26","Jun-26"]

[["Information Media and Telecommunications","Administrative and Support Services","Accommodation and Food Services","Wholesale Trade","Construction","Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing","Retail Trade","Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services","Professional, Scientific and Technical Services","Arts and Recreation Services","Mining","Transport, Postal and Warehousing","Education and Training","Other Services","Financial and Insurance Services","Manufacturing","Health Care and Social Assistance","Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services"],[[34],[29],[36],[51],[31],[35],[41],[22],[27],[14],[21],[28],[17],[16],[15],[26],[14],[13]],[[36],[31],[30],[29],[28],[27],[26],[25],[24],[24],[23],[23],[23],[21],[14],[13],[10],[1]]]

[]

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Proportion of responding businesses. Businesses were asked to indicate changes to expected revenue over the next four weeks.

Small and medium businesses (24% and 21% respectively) were more likely to report a decrease in expected revenue over the next four weeks compared to large businesses (12%).

Changes in operating expenses

Almost half of responding businesses (46%) reported operating expenses had increased over the past four weeks, down 4 percentage points from May 2026.

This was higher for medium sized businesses (50%), compared to small (46%) and large businesses (42%).

Businesses in Agriculture, forestry and fishing (72%) were most likely to report operating expenses had increased over the past four weeks, followed by Manufacturing and Accommodation and food services (both 55%) and Transport, postal and warehousing (49%).

Businesses reporting an increase in operating expenses(a)(b), by industry
	May-26 (%)	Jun-26 (%)
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing	79	72
Manufacturing	65	55
Accommodation and Food Services	57	55
Transport, Postal and Warehousing	56	49
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	44	49
Information Media and Telecommunications	46	48
Wholesale Trade	51	46
Retail Trade	58	46
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services	41	45
Construction	52	43
Administrative and Support Services	51	43
Health Care and Social Assistance	32	42
Mining	47	41
Financial and Insurance Services	37	41
Other Services	47	37
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services	33	33
Education and Training	40	33
Arts and Recreation Services	48	29

Businesses reporting an increase in operating expenses(a)(b), by industry

["","May-26","Jun-26"]

[["Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing","Manufacturing","Accommodation and Food Services","Transport, Postal and Warehousing","Professional, Scientific and Technical Services","Information Media and Telecommunications","Wholesale Trade","Retail Trade","Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services","Construction","Administrative and Support Services","Health Care and Social Assistance","Mining","Financial and Insurance Services","Other Services","Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services","Education and Training","Arts and Recreation Services"],[[79],[65],[57],[56],[44],[46],[51],[58],[41],[52],[51],[32],[47],[37],[47],[33],[40],[48]],[[72],[55],[55],[49],[49],[48],[46],[46],[45],[43],[43],[42],[41],[41],[37],[33],[33],[29]]]

[]

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Proportion of responding businesses.
Over the past four weeks.

Reason for operating expenses increasing

Businesses were asked to provide information on the factors or reasons why operating expenses had increased. A short list of options (including an ‘Other’ text field) was provided, and businesses could select multiple reasons.

Just under three quarters (71%) of businesses indicated fuel prices as a reason for the increase in operating expenses over the past four weeks (down 11 percentage points), followed by business overheads (65%, up 13 percentage points), freight or delivery costs (56%, down 2 percentage points), and input costs of other goods or materials used by the business (47%, down 3 percentage points).

Reasons for increase in operating expenses(a)
	May-26 (%)	Jun-26 (%)
Fuel prices	82	71
Business overheads	52	65
Freight or delivery costs	58	56
Input costs of other goods or materials used by this business	49	47
Staffing related costs	31	40
Finance or debt commitments	16	19
Fertiliser prices	11	9
Other	5	3

Reasons for increase in operating expenses(a)

["","May-26","Jun-26"]

[["Fuel prices","Business overheads","Freight or delivery costs","Input costs of other goods or materials used by this business","Staffing related costs","Finance or debt commitments","Fertiliser prices","Other"],[[82],[52],[58],[49],[31],[16],[11],[5]],[[71],[65],[56],[47],[40],[19],[9],[3]]]

[]

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Proportion of businesses that reported an increase in operating expenses over the past four weeks.

Businesses reporting fuel or freight and delivery costs as a reason for increased operating expenses(a), by industry, June 2026
	Fuel prices (%)	Freight or delivery costs (%)
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing	96	89
Mining	69	17
Manufacturing	63	79
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services	81	65
Construction	87	66
Wholesale Trade	66	83
Retail Trade	58	80
Accommodation and Food Services	58	83
Transport, Postal and Warehousing	99	47
Information Media and Telecommunications	74	61
Financial and Insurance Services	54	25
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services	69	31
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	58	23
Administrative and Support Services	83	57
Education and Training	50	35
Health Care and Social Assistance	71	36
Arts and Recreation Services	19	21
Other Services	54	53

Businesses reporting fuel or freight and delivery costs as a reason for increased operating expenses(a), by industry, June 2026

["","Fuel prices","Freight or delivery costs"]

[["Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing","Mining","Manufacturing","Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services","Construction","Wholesale Trade","Retail Trade","Accommodation and Food Services","Transport, Postal and Warehousing","Information Media and Telecommunications","Financial and Insurance Services","Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services","Professional, Scientific and Technical Services","Administrative and Support Services","Education and Training","Health Care and Social Assistance","Arts and Recreation Services","Other Services"],[[96],[69],[63],[81],[87],[66],[58],[58],[99],[74],[54],[69],[58],[83],[50],[71],[19],[54]],[[89],[17],[79],[65],[66],[83],[80],[83],[47],[61],[25],[31],[23],[57],[35],[36],[21],[53]]]

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Proportion of responding businesses that indicated operating expenses had increased over the past four weeks.

Expectation of operating expenses over the next four weeks

One third (33%) of businesses expected operating expenses to increase over the next four weeks, down 3 percentage points from May 2026. This was highest in Agriculture, forestry and fishing (50%, down 1 percentage point), Accommodation and food services (48%, down 2 percentage points), Wholesale trade (46%, up 8 percentage points) and Information media and telecommunications (43%, up 18 percentage points).

Business sentiment on ability to meet financial commitments

Businesses were asked to provide an indication on how difficult or easy it would be for the business to meet its financial commitments over the next four weeks. The responses provide a point in time indication of business sentiment based on the conditions experienced at the time that the business completed the survey.

In June 2026, more than one quarter (28%) of businesses expected it to be very difficult or difficult to meet their financial commitments over the next four weeks.

The top four industries reporting the highest proportion of businesses expecting difficulties in meeting financial commitments in the next four weeks were:

Accommodation and food services – 47%, down 1 percentage point
Information media and telecommunications – 47%, up 18 percentage points
Transport, postal and warehousing – 39%, down 17 percentage points
Agriculture, forestry and fishing – 38%, down 6 percentage points.

Small and medium businesses were more likely to have difficulties meeting financial commitments in the next four weeks (both 29%) compared to large businesses (17%).

Anticipated ability to meet financial commitments over the next four weeks(a)(b)(%)
	Small businesses	Medium businesses	Large businesses	All businesses
Very difficult	9	8	2	8
Difficult	20	21	15	20
Neither difficult nor easy	48	43	41	47
Easy	13	19	22	13
Very easy	5	5	14	5
Not applicable	2	1	2	2
Don't know	4	4	4	4

Proportion of responding businesses.
Examples of financial commitments include fixed operating costs, debt obligations, payroll costs, and supplier credit for materials or stock etc.

Acknowledgement

The ABS would like to thank all businesses for their involvement in the survey.

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