Business investment collapsed after the election and worse is to come.

Official figures released on Thursday show investment slid 5.2per cent in the last three months of last year - the most since the global financial crisis.

And the plans for 2014-15 are even worse. The estimate financial officers reported to the Bureau of Statistics is 17 per cent down on the estimate for 2013-14 reported a year ago.

The estimate for mining investment is down 25 per cent, and for manufacturing investment is down 20 per cent.

The estimate for "other" industries is little changed. ''Other'' includes wholesale and retail trade, financial services and communications.