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How to measure corporate stress?
Petrol prices are up over 30%, 936+ petrol stations across the country are reporting outages and the Strait of Hormuz is still closed to normal shipping. Meanwhile, most of corporate Australia is still swiping their Opal card and complaining about it in team meetings.
The Aussie Corporate & Pick & Scroll News
March 31, 2026
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Good morning AusCorp. Petrol prices are up over 30%, 936+ petrol stations across the country are reporting outages and the Strait of Hormuz is still closed to normal shipping.
Meanwhile, most of corporate Australia is still swiping their Opal card and complaining about it in yesterday’s Monday morning meeting.
In this week’s edition, we're looking at who the fuel crisis actually affects, what our Stress Index is telling us about the job market beneath the headlines, and how an EY staff member got fined $6,000 for using their phone during an exam. We also found out whether you're legally required to tell a prospective employer you're about to go on parental leave.
AUSCORP STRESS INDEX
This index tracks what the professional market is actually doing - not what the headlines say it's doing. Every week we aggregate live signals across hiring activity, employer sentiment, salary movement, and market stress across 50+ major Australian employers.
Professionals are quietly job hunting despite the noise - salary offers are up, hiring is active, and anxiety is actually down. Employers are still competing for permanent talent but quietly cutting contractors to manage costs. Legal activity is also ticking up. The only real concern is that consumer confidence is at a record low, which is not surprising given that households have absorbed two rate hikes back to back while watching petrol prices climb.
THE BIG CONVERSATION
Why most of us will still be on the train this week
Petrol prices are up 30% and your news feed has decided the economy is tanking. But if your commute involves an Opal card, a myki, or a Go card, you might not feel too much of an impact. The petrol conversation is important and affects us all but there are definitely industries out there that are feeling it a bit more.
The workers that are really caught in this are in logistics, field services, trades, and the outer-suburban workforce where driving isn't optional. The ATO's cents-per-kilometre reimbursement rate hasn't moved since July so if your firm has people regularly travelling to client sites or satellite offices, now would be the time to revisit those rates that are covered.
“Short-term flexibility during specific events makes sense, but as a broad signal it risks slowing economic activity, reducing productivity, weakening culture and performance over time.”
The idea that this triggers another big opportunity to WFH is wishful thinking, especially as the firms that just went hard on RTO mandates aren’t going to back down now. One thing you might want to look into is your company’s novated lease conversation. The FBT exemption on electric vehicles is sitting right there, and most people still haven't done the maths on what salary sacrifice could save you now.
PICK & SCROLL BY THE AUSSIE CORPORATE
Nationally936 (+57)Service stations running dry | Diesel322.7c (+1.4)Average per litre Diesel (425.0c max) | U98283.5c (+0.5)Average per litre of Prem Unleaded 98 (350.9c max) |
Flat White lands every week. The news doesn't. On top of being in a fuel crisis over the past week, Cadbury is charging 73% more for Easter eggs, Facebook got sued for being too addictive and AustralianSuper hiked insurance premiums by 40%.
If you missed any of that, we’ll keep you in the loop even if you live under a rock.
Every weekday morning at 8AM, we send you everything that happened across Australian business and corporate news in a 2-minute read. Same team. Same voice. Just daily.
PICKS FROM LAST WEEK
Software giant Atlassian is accused of illegally firing an employee for criticising the boss over workplace issues during a company-wide meeting. LINK
An EY staff member has been fined almost $6,000 and banned from professional credentials until 2027 after repeatedly using a mobile phone during exams and lying about it. LINK
The Victorian government is introducing an Australian-first law this year requiring real estate agents to disclose all residential property sale prices as a move to improve market transparency. LINK
Qantas has restricted lounge access from July 1 for gold, platinum and Qantas Club members on international Jetstar flights, while exemptions apply to platinum one members and certain fare types. LINK
DoorDash is now letting its drivers earn extra money filming themselves doing household tasks to train AI and robotics models. LINK
THE INSIDE TRACK
Herbert Smith Freehills increased headcount by 58% over the past 2 years with 9% growth in business development in the last year alone.
Coles headcount fell 28% in the last 2 years.
THREAD OF THE WEEK - r/AUSCORP
“It would be great if we lived in a world where people didn't discriminate but unfortunately, you just don't know who you're dealing with or how the company treats pregnancy/people needing extended leave.”
You have no legal obligation to disclose parental leave plans during an interview, and doing so opens the door to discrimination that is both illegal and unfortunately very common.
AMP’S FINEST | THE ECONOMIC SCOOP
Before the war started, Australian inflation was actually heading in the right direction. Prices were stabilising, the underlying trend was cooling, and there was a reasonable case that the worst of it was behind us. That context matters, because what comes next has nothing to do with whether the economy was well managed or not.
The problem is that petrol prices have surged since then and that spike will flow directly into the next inflation reading. Households are already feeling it at the bowser and higher energy costs seep into the price of getting goods to shelves, running businesses and delivering services.
Even if the conflict ends soon, the pressure on prices is likely to linger for months as supply slowly comes back online. Higher rates are meant to slow spending and cool inflation, but when inflation is being driven by an oil shock rather than excessive demand, the tool and the problem are not quite matched.
“Australian home price growth is likely to slow to 5% or less due to poor affordability and the RBA raising rates with talk of more to come.”
The economy seems to be slowing and getting more expensive at the same time - a combination that rate rises alone cannot fix and that households will feel well before any policy response can catch up.
If that was helpful at all, you can listen to the AMP Econosights podcast here, featuring Shane Oliver, Diana Mousina and My Bui.
OFF THE CLOCK
EATING
The dinner with no commute costs
Melbourne's Elpiet Group is covering your transport costs to get you through the door of their Italian restaurants, which, given fuel prices, is either generous hospitality or very good marketing. LINK
WATCHING
The Office spin-off dropped last week
The Office spin-off drops this week, so if you were planning to be productive on Friday afternoon, now you have a reason not to be. LINK
READING
Should you keep your holiday flights?
With the Iran conflict escalating, here’s a practical rundown for Australian travellers trying to work out whether their upcoming flights are still worth keeping. LINK
WEARING
Nike x Football Australia 2026 kits
Nike and Football Australia have dropped the 2026 Matildas and Socceroos kits, marking 20 years of the partnership with something you can actually wear to the pub (maybe). LINK
GOING
Harry Potter: The Exhibition hits Sydney
Harry Potter: The Exhibition is coming to Sydney, just in time for its remake into a tv show. LINK
THE PARENTAL LEAVE GAP
Australia's government-funded paid parental leave is 22 weeks. Sounds decent until you find out the average across the OECD is 55 weeks. Some employers are making up the difference. Most aren't.
The gap between what companies offer publicly and what people actually experience when they take leave is one of the least talked about parts of Australian corporate life.
We're building our own AusCorp-specific dataset on what parental leave actually looks like across industries, company sizes and roles. Submit for your company below.
AUSCORP EVENTS
SPORTS
AusCorp Events x Barry’s SOLD OUT
SPORTS
AusCorp Runs | Sydney | Register HERE
Tuesday 14th April | 7AM
Now that public transport is packed to the brim, come to the city earlier and trade your commute for a morning jog. This is a friendly, no-ego run before work with a small group so it stays social and safe. All paces welcome.
SPORTS
AusCorp Runs | Melbourne | Register HERE
Tuesday 21st April | 7AM
Public transport might be free in Melbourne but so is a fit and healthy routine. This is a friendly, no-ego run before work with a small group so it stays social and safe. All paces welcome.
SPORTS
AusCorp Pickleball | Coming Soon
April/May
SPORTS
AusCorp Pilates | Coming Soon