- Private house approvals fell 4.3%, but remains higher than pre-pandemic
- South Australia saw largest falls in total & private house approvals in nation
- Value of building approvals declined 11.2%
Despite hitting a record number of private house approvals last April, the September figures are much more subdued at a seasonally adjusted 4.3% decline.
ABS Director of Construction Statistics Daniel Rossi said the decrease in private house approvals was a driving force behind the 16.0% fall in total dwelling approvals.
In contrast, private sector approvals excluding houses rose a tremendous 18%.
“Despite the fall in September, the series remains 18.2 per cent higher than the pre-pandemic level in September 2019.”
Daniel Rossi, ABS Director of Construction Statistics
Mr Rossi said that the discontinuation of federal and state stimulus packages contributed greatly to the decline in private house approvals observed recently.
Dwelling units approved, by building type, seasonally adjusted
State-by-state
Total dwelling approvals fell in most states, with South Australia recording the largest decline of 26.8%, followed closely by Queensland (-16.0%) and Western Australia (-20.9%).
Victoria and Tasmania also declined by 15.7% and 11.8% respectively, while New South Wales swam against the tide with a large number of apartment developments approved, recording a significant increase of 27.2%.
Private sector house approvals also dwindled in September, South Australia seeing the worst of it again with a 26.8% decline.
Victoria (-18.0%), Queensland (-16.0%), New South Wales (-13.9%), and Western Australia (-12.2%) were no exception to the decline, ensuring that all mainland states recorded falls.
Dwelling approved, states and territories, seasonally adjusted
Value of building approvals falling
The value of total building approvals fell by 11.2%, with the value of non-residential buildings declining by 11.3% despite having surged by 43.5% in August.
The value of total residential building fell by a similar 11.1%, as new residential building and alterations and additions dropped by 9.6% and 20.0% respectively.
Value of building approved, by building type, seasonally adjusted
