New federal figures show consumer insolvencies increased by 2.2%, while separate research found more than one-third of respondents had skipped essentials because of financial pressure.
There were 37,523 consumer insolvencies filed during the quarter, up 6.9 per cent from the same period a year earlier and 1.1 per cent from the first quarter.
Management of Companies and Enterprises; Accommodation and Food Services; and Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction registered the largest increases in the number of insolvencies.