June business confidence in Australia edged up 1.4 points to 77.5, while consumer confidence fell 1.2 points to 74.7, leaving both measures well below the neutral 100 level.
Roy Morgan said the business uptick barely dents a deeper slump: the June quarter averaged a record-low 76.7, down 15.5 points from the prior quarter and below the previous low of 84.3 in September 2020.
Retail remains a major weak spot, with sector confidence at 66.5 in the quarter after months of supply shocks, legislative changes, interest-rate hikes and tax changes that have coincided with a wave of store closures.
State readings underline the breadth of the weakness, with Western Australia the lowest at 59.6 and New South Wales the highest at 83.4—still below neutral.