Australian newspaper circulation has slid in the three months to June 30, according to recent data.

The latest Audit Bureau of Circulation figures revealed that Monday to Sunday newspaper sales plunged by 2.5 per cent in the June quarter, compared with the previous equivalent period.

Chief executive Tony Hale of The Newspaper Works, a non-profit body set up to promote the industry, said the decline in circulation came expected amid a "tough retail environment."

"It has impacted us just like it has impacted other paid media, but the five-year trend remains relatively stable," he said.

According to Mr Hale, while sales of the physical masthead had declined, newspapers reached "more people than ever before" today through online and 3G channels.

The Newspaper Works said Australians had downloaded over 331,000 newspaper-branded applications, making the publications "true multi-platform brands."

In the three months to June, Sydney's The Sunday Telegraph posted the biggest number of newspapers sold at 638,550. This, however, was decline of 2.9 per cent from the previous corresponding period.

The Monday-to-Friday edition of Melbourne's The Herald Sun, which fell 2.1 per cent from a year ago, was the best-selling metropolitan daily with 515,000 copies sold.

Among the metropolitan titles, Brisbane's Sunday Mail has the largest slump, sliding 6.8 per cent to 514,405.

Meanwhile, The West Australian newspaper's Monday-to-Friday and Monday-to-Saturday editions improved 3.3 per cent and 1.9 per cent to 203,304 and 226,086, respectively.

Circulation of the Saturday edition of Sydney's The Daily Telegraph climbed 0.8 per cent to 339,621.