Almost half of businesses report higher costs as fuel prices bite: ABS
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The news: Nearly half (46%) of Australian businesses reported that operating expenses had gone up in the past four weeks, according to new data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The context: The data showed businesses with high fuel exposure were more likely to report rising operating costs. This was most evident in the agriculture, manufacturing, accommodation and food services, and transport sectors, where between 49% to 72% of respondents said business costs had increased over the past four weeks.
A sharp majority of businesses in the professional, scientific and technical services (84%) cited overheads as a key driver of higher operating expenses, up 29 percentage points from the previous month.
The data also showed 13% of small businesses required financial or advisory support, while one third of businesses reported a decline in revenue. The largest falls were reported by businesses in the information media and telecommunication, wholesale trade, and accommodation and food services sectors.
This marks the final Business Conditions and Sentiments release from the ABS, with data collected from 2,700 businesses between 4 June and 17 June 2026.
What they said: “Data from today’s Survey of Business Conditions and Sentiments, shows that while the pressure from fuel prices had eased, there were more businesses that had noted higher costs,” ABS head of business statistics Tom Lay said.
“The main reasons behind these higher costs included rising businesses overheads for 65%, staffing related costs for 40% and upcoming finance or debt commitments for 19% of businesses,” he added.
