The gap between who needs tailored finance advice and who actually gets it is wider than you'd expect. New research from non-bank lender Bluestone and Agile Market Intelligence, reported by Australian Broker, surveyed more than 18,000 Australians and landed on a striking number: only 10% of self-employed borrowers went to a mortgage broker in the last 12 months, even though 62% paid for some form of professional adviser.
With roughly 2.2 million self-employed Australians in 2025 (ABS), that's a large group navigating finance largely on their own.
Why the numbers matter for you
If you work for yourself, your income doesn't arrive as a tidy fortnightly pay slip. Lenders verify it differently, often through additional documentation or alternative income evidence, and the research notes that for some banks, that extra work makes self-employed lending less attractive or slower to approve. None of that means the door is closed; it means the assessment path is different.
The survey also found 45% of respondents were unfamiliar with non-bank lenders as an option, yet 63% said they would consider one if it were presented to them. Awareness, not appetite, appears to be the constraint.
The confidence gap
Asked where they'd turn for a complex financial situation, 36% preferred a bank versus 25% a broker. Bluestone suggests some borrowers were previously turned away and concluded a bank was their only route. Worth naming plainly: being declined once by one channel is not a verdict on the whole market. Different lenders assess non-standard income differently.
Meanwhile, 68% of self-employed borrowers expect lending conditions to tighten over the next year. That's a sentiment reading, not a forecast, but it's a useful reminder that understanding the full range of options is easier done before you need to move than during.
General information only.