Building approvals in Australia down 2.9% in June

The number of dwellings approved fell 0.9 per cent in June 2016, in trend terms, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today. This is the second successive monthly fall.

Dwelling approvals decreased in June in Western Australia (5.2 per cent), Tasmania (3.7 per cent), Queensland (3.2 per cent), Australian Capital Territory (2.8 per cent) and Victoria (0.1 per cent), but increased in the Northern Territory (3.6 per cent), South Australia (1.6 per cent) and New South Wales (0.8 per cent) in trend terms.

In trend terms, approvals for private sector houses fell 0.6 per cent in June. Private sector house approvals fell in Western Australia (3.5 per cent), Victoria (0.6 per cent), Queensland (0.5 per cent) and South Australia (0.3 per cent). Private sector house approvals rose in New South Wales (0.9 per cent).

In seasonally adjusted terms, total dwelling approvals decreased 2.9 per cent, with both total other residential dwelling approvals (3.4 per cent) and total houses (2.4 per cent) recording falls.

The value of total building approved rose 1.2 per cent in June, in trend terms, and has risen for six months. The value of residential building rose 0.1 per cent while non-residential building rose 3.7 per cent.