Australian SME research
Research made useful for business decisions
Browse Australian SME surveys and reports based on public data. Each report identifies its observation period, sources and limitations. Downloads include source summaries and charts; historical survey records are not always available in full. For dated rates, commitments, collateral and banking measures, use the small-business lending statistics reference.
- Reports
- 22
- 2026 data studies
- 10
- Source downloads
- CSV and charts
For cash-flow planning, read the Slow Payer Index and working-capital model. For a loan offer, use the rate benchmark alongside the disclosure study. For market context, start with business formation and survival.
Latest releases
New research and analysis
Slow Payer Index: the July 2026 extract
Industry medians from the retained Payment Times summary. The report explains separate median denominators and missing record-level evidence.
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Small Business Loan Rate Reality Index: August 2026
New small-business loans averaged 7.23%, compared with 5.54% for large businesses. RBA observations and transparent repayment calculations.
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Small-business lending in the June quarter of 2026
New fixed-term commitments excluding refinancing fell 6.9% year on year. ABS purpose, state and refinancing tables explain the scope.
Read researchCurrent data research
Reports, source downloads and methods
Australian small business statistics: 2026 source guide
Current business counts with separately dated employment, value-added and ownership measures; each number has a source and scope.
Read researchCompany administrations by industry: 2026 index
A complete industry table with company-versus-business denominator limits. The retained CSV does not reproduce the original ASIC record extract.
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Business survival rates in Australia: the 2026 atlas
49.2% of 2022–23 entrants remained active in June 2026. Complete industry, state and starting-employment tables.
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Bank branch closures: the Business Banking Desert Index
APRA and ABS June 2025 observations compare branch availability and branch losses, with Bank@Post shown separately.
Read researchBusiness lender transparency: eight disclosure checks
The earlier numerical scores are withdrawn because source evidence and totals could not be reconciled. Use the eight-point disclosure checklist.
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Working capital by industry: a cash-buffer model
ATO expense ranges, correct turnover bands and a working calculator for testing the cash cost of waiting to be paid.
Read researchBusiness collateral and the PPSR
AFSA registration and search activity, with corrected ratios and clear limits on treating registrations as loans.
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Government SME Contract Scorecard: 2024–25
SMEs received 52.4% of reported contracts and 14.0% of value. A reporting change limits comparisons with earlier years.
Read researchSurveys and historical analysis
Explore the research archive
Archive entries describe their original period and what respondents said at the time. Public-data reports use the populations defined by their sources; funding models test stated assumptions. Check each report’s denominators and limitations before citing it. Downloadable summaries are not always complete raw datasets, and missing fieldwork dates or subgroup counts remain identified.
2026
AI use and reported labour savings: 2026 survey
Self-reported savings among 200 respondents, corrected all-business and AI-user denominators, and a careful comparison with the 2024 survey.
Read research2025
What held back SME productivity: November 2025 survey
A November 2025 survey of 226 business owners and decision makers explores the operating pressures they associate with weaker productivity.
Read researchSME capital investment plans for FY2026: July 2025 survey
Historical 2025 expectations for FY2026, which ended 30 June 2026. The report is not a measure of investment actually made.
Read researchHow SMEs viewed industrial-relations changes: March 2025 survey
A March 2025 survey of 200 business owners and decision makers records their views on industrial-relations changes at that time.
Read research2023
Business borrowing and investment plans for FY2024: the survey
A report dated December 2023 asks 202 SME decision makers how their borrowing and investment decisions changed for FY2024.
Read researchFirst business cuts in a recession: July 2023 survey
A July 2023 survey of 202 business decision makers, mainly from SMEs, asks which costs they would cut if the economy entered recession.
Read researchWhere SMEs believed they overspent: April 2023 survey
Historical April 2023 perceptions of overspending. Conflicting sample totals of 250 and 210 remain unverified; no single total is claimed.
Read research2022
Business loan vs personal loan, with the 2022 survey archive
A practical comparison of borrower liability, permitted use, costs and tax considerations, followed by corrected historical survey findings.
Read researchInflation and SME borrowing plans: November 2022 survey
A November 2022 survey of 210 SME decision makers asks which costs they expected to struggle with in 2023 and whether they would consider borrowing.
Read researchSME challenges and planned responses for FY2023
An August 2022 survey of 253 SME owners and decision makers asks about anticipated challenges and planned responses for FY2023.
Read research2017
Australian SME lending statistics: historical platform and RBA data
Historical Australian SME lending statistics combine Become platform data with dated RBA series to show borrowing patterns in the original periods.
Read researchSMBLoan publishes information and refers finance enquiries to Lend.com.au. We may receive compensation; we are not a lender or marketplace and do not work directly with the lenders discussed. Research findings do not predict approval of an individual loan.
For citations or corrections, contact hello@smbloan.com.au.