A new Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) survey has found that 36 per cent of Australian business owners have been diagnosed with a mental health condition in 2026.<\/p>\n
Of those diagnosed with a mental disorder, the ACCI says 25 per cent suffered from anxiety, followed by depression (15 per cent) and \u201cstress-related conditions\u201d (11 per cent).<\/p>\n
The number of those surveyed is not available, though all three figures are up from 2024’s survey of over 300 businesses<\/a>.<\/p>\n A significant 87 per cent majority blame their job.\u00a0<\/p>\n ACCI chief executive Andrew McKellar placed much of the responsibility for these figures on the government.<\/p>\n “Businesses have been hit again and again by increasing pressures, increasing taxes and costs, increasing fees and charges,” Mr McKellar said.<\/p>\n “Governments have got to wake up here.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a human cost to the increasing pressures being ratcheted up on Australian business and we are calling that out \u2013 enough.”<\/p>\n Earlier this year, new research from Xero found nearly one in three small business owners<\/a> had considered closing due to stress.<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s Economic Case for Mentally Healthy and Safe Workplaces report<\/a> found that workplace mental health is costing the nation $12 billion in lost gross domestic product (GDP).<\/p>\n This is estimated to rise to $27.2 billion by 2041-42.<\/p>\n “Poor mental health is an economic issue as well as a personal one. Lost productivity, higher insurance costs and staff turnover hit business every day,\u201d Mr McKellar said.<\/p>\n “Fewer than one in four businesses can get expert help with workplace health hazards in a timely, cost-effective way.<\/p>\n “If we want to keep workers safe, businesses need better access to health experts.\u201d<\/p>\n Ditching single-use cups for reusable alternatives and in-house mugs is the most recent, but small businesses have been pummelled with changes in 2026.<\/p>\n The Australian federal budget replaced the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount with a hard-floored, inflation-indexed model.<\/p>\n It also imposed a 30 per cent minimum tax rate on discretionary trusts, stripping low-income beneficiaries of their tax-free thresholds.<\/p>\n These reforms eliminate non-refundable tax credits for corporate companies, leaving many owners with the option of accepting a financial setback or undertaking costly and complex restructuring.<\/p>\n In 2024, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that only 21.4 per cent of Australians aged 16 to 24 had suffered from a mental health disorder in the previous 12 months.<\/p>\n Mr McKellar said that businesses were turning to digital technologies such as AI or digital platforms to help manage.<\/p>\n “One of the green shoots is in AI and digital tools,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBusinesses are already using them to help manage safety issues, and more than a third of those that do say it has helped.<\/p>\n \u201cGovernment should support that uptake with clear guidance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Read related topics:Australian business<\/a>Health and Beauty<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) survey has found that 36 per cent of 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