Australia's most confident businesses just got more confident, despite a drop in their support for the ACT government's policies.
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The latest quarterly Sensis Business Index survey, released on Tuesday, shows the ACT remains home to the most confident small- and medium-sized businesses in the country.
The territory's business confidence rating rose 7 percentage points to +61 on the scale, 12 percentage points above the national average, which also jumped 7 percentage points.
The ACT is now 4 percentage points ahead of Tasmania, which was on par with the territory as home to the most confident businesses in the last quarterly survey.
Sensis chief executive John Allan said sales expectations were higher in the ACT during the June 2018 quarter than anywhere else, with 69 per cent of businesses saying they felt confident in their prospects over the next year.
“The results show that Australia’s most confident business community just got more confident,” Mr Allan said.
"Canberra and the ACT are leading the nation."
The survey is based on 1002 phone interviews conducted with owners or managers of businesses that employ up to 199 people. Of the businesses surveyed, 80 were in the ACT.
Mr Allan said while confidence was up in the territory, businesses' support for the ACT govenrment's policies fell 11 percentage points to minus 2 on the index in the June 2018 survey.
He said this was the biggest drop in support for government policies across the country, continuing what had been a volatile pattern of support among territory firms in the past two years.
In the March 2018 quarterly survey, released in April, support for the ACT government's policies had increased by 21 percentage points.
“The most widespread concern voiced by small and medium businesses is that they’re facing too many costs, and payroll tax is also generating some criticism," Mr Allan said.
"But businesses see the ACT government as being supportive and aware of small business needs, and as stimulating the economy and tourism.”
Tourism Research Australia data released in July showed that international visitors put $606 million in Canberra's coffers in the year ending March 2018, up about 16 per cent on the previous year.
That data was released as Chief Minister Andrew Barr continues to lobby for more international routes to Canberra Airport, which already receives flights from Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways.
A statement from Mr Barr's office in July said the chief minister was in discussions with airlines including Hong Kong Airlines, Air New Zealand and China Southern Airlines.
