A Business Chamber Queensland survey of hundreds of businesses across the state has found the majority have been directly impacted by the fuel crisis with 63 per cent saying they were seeing moderate to severe cost impacts from the conflict in the Middle East.
Business Chamber Queensland CEO Heidi Cooper said the crisis was affecting businesses of every size, every sector, and in every region of the state – whether it was through spiking fuel prices, supply and distribution challenges, or increased costs being passed along supply chains.
“Two in three businesses told us they are experiencing significant cost impacts, and many are reporting price increases in the order of 11 to 50 per cent,” Ms Cooper said.
“That scale of inflating costs is forcing decisions that no business wants to make.
“We’re seeing businesses take immediate steps just to keep operating – more than four in ten had to pass costs on, over a quarter have changed delivery and logistics schedules, and close to 18 per cent have deferred or cancelled jobs or contracts.
“When nearly one in five businesses are cutting production or service levels – and others are reducing operating hours (15.1 per cent) or asking staff to stay at home (13.3 per cent) – that’s a significant warning sign for confidence, productivity, and jobs.”
Ms Cooper said that even where businesses felt secure in sourcing fuel today, their concerns were what will happen next.
“Almost 44.3 per cent told us they are not confident they can manage fuel supply over the next four weeks – and that uncertainty makes planning extremely difficult.”
Ms Cooper said that 65.6 per cent of businesses welcomed the temporary fuel excise relief and freight support, but the message was clear – governments must work closely with the business community to secure supply, manage demand, and protect business continuity through this crisis.
“Queensland businesses are incredibly resilient and will adapt, but they want targeted support, particularly cash flow measures, help to retain employees, and clear, coordinated communication – all of which will make the difference between riding out this crisis or scaling back operations.
“The main thing is to keep the economy moving. But to stay open and keep trading, businesses need staff, customers, and reliable supply,” Ms Cooper said.
