The VRCA has conducted their first 2026 Business Health Survey for regional and rural Victoria. Regional Victorian businesses are not in a “soft patch”. Many operators are now in survival mode. Our concerns are not just cost pressures; it is that businesses are working harder than ever while increasingly questioning whether the effort is sustainable. 44% of business owners say they are not drawing a living wage. 65% of business owners say they sometimes or never have work life balance. Business owners are exhausted not entitled.