MARCH KEY FIGURES
 | Mar qtr 08 | Dec qtr 07 to Mar qtr 08 | Mar qtr 07 to Mar qtr 08 |  |
 | no. | % | % |  |
Trend Estimates |  |
|  |
Total dwelling units commenced | 39 537 | 0.9 | 4.3 |  |
New private sector houses | 26 067 | - | 0.5 |  |
New private sector other residential building | 11 874 | 2.0 | 11.2 |  |
Seasonally Adjusted Estimates |  |
|  |
Total dwelling units commenced | 38 811 | -3.3 | 2.4 |  |
New private sector houses | 25 365 | -6.0 | -2.5 |  |
New private sector other residential building | 11 844 | 3.0 | 12.2 |  |
|  |
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells) |
Dwelling units commenced

| Private dwellings commenced, Trend estimates

|
MARCH KEY POINTS
TOTAL DWELLING UNITS
- The trend estimate for the total number of dwelling units commenced rose 0.9% in the March quarter 2008 following a revised increase of 1.6% in the December quarter 2007.
- The seasonally adjusted estimate for the total number of dwelling units commenced fell 3.3% in the March quarter which follows a revised increase of 4.2% in the December quarter.
NEW HOUSES
- The trend estimate for new private sector house commencements was flat in the March quarter. This follows a revised increase of 0.6% in the December quarter.
- The seasonally adjusted estimate for new private sector house commencements fell 6.0% in the March quarter. This follows a revised increase of 5.7% in the December quarter.
OTHER RESIDENTIAL BUILDING
- The trend for new private sector other residential building commencements rose 2.0% in the March quarter which follows a revised increase of 3.2% in the December quarter.
- The seasonally adjusted estimate for new private sector other residential building rose 3.0% in the March quarter following a revised fall of 1.8% in the December quarter.
NOTES
FORTHCOMING ISSUES
ISSUE (QUARTER) | Release Date |
June 2008 | 15 September 2008 |
September 2008 | 16 December 2008 |
ABOUT THIS ISSUE
This publication provides an early indication of trends in the number of dwelling units commenced. The data are estimates based on a response rate of approximately 90% of a sample of building jobs collected in the Building Activity Survey. More comprehensive and updated results will be released in
Building Activity, Australia (cat. no. 8752.0), on 15 July 2008.
SIGNIFICANT REVISIONS THIS ISSUE
Compared to the estimates published in
Building Activity, Australia, December quarter 2007 (cat. no. 8752.0) released on 18 April 2008:
- the total number of dwellings commenced in Australia during December quarter 2007 has been revised upwards by 404 (+1.0%).
- the number of new private sector houses commenced in Australia during the December quarter 2007 has been revised downwards by 328 (-1.2%).
- the number of new private sector other residential dwelling units commenced in Australia during the December quarter 2007 has been revised upwards by 737 (+6.3%).
As a survey of approved building jobs, outcomes from the Building Activity Survey are subject to the accuracy of Building Approvals information used in preparing the collection. Some errors have been identified in Building Approvals information for a number of regions in Australia over recent years. Adjustments were made to the affected Building Approvals series and revisions were incorporated into the March 2008 issue of Building Approvals, Australia (cat. no. 8731.0), released on 1 May 2008.
As a result of the changes in the Building Approvals series there will be corresponding revisions to other building series. These changes have been incorporated into this issue going back to the September Quarter 2001. The revisions are more significant for some states.
INQUIRIES
For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 or Willie Hynd on Adelaide (08) 8237 7645.