Construction Work Done, Australia, Preliminary

Latest release

Provides preliminary estimates of value of total construction work done, building work done and engineering construction work done

Reference period

March 2026

Released

27/05/2026

Release date and time

27/05/2026 11:30am AEST

Key statistics

In seasonally adjusted terms in the March quarter:

Total construction work done rose 3.4% to $83.4b
Building work done rose 0.6% to $44.7b
Engineering work done rose 6.9% to $38.7b

The trend estimate for total construction work done rose 0.5% to $80.6b.

Value of construction work done

Value of construction work done, chain volume measures, seasonally adjusted estimates (a)
		Mar qtr 26 ($m)	Dec qtr 25 to Mar qtr 26 (%)	Mar qtr 25 to Mar qtr 26 (%)
Building		44,708.6	0.6	7.8
	Residential	27,058.4	-0.6	5.6
	Non-residential	17,650.2	2.5	11.2
Engineering		38,652.0	6.9	4.7
Total construction		83,360.6	3.4	6.3

(a) Reference year for chain volume measures is 2023-24.

Value of construction work done, chain volume measures, trend estimates (a)
		Mar qtr 26 ($m)	Dec qtr 25 to Mar qtr 26 (%)	Mar qtr 25 to Mar qtr 26 (%)
Building		45,033.0	1.7	8.9
	Residential	27,355.0	1.3	7.4
	Non-residential	17,647.1	2.3	10.9
Engineering		35,595.2	-0.9	-2.8
Total construction		80,617.5	0.5	3.4

(a) Reference year for chain volume measures is 2023-24.

Value of construction work done, seasonally adjusted chain volume measures
	Total building ($m)	Engineering construction ($m)
Mar-18	40,482.5	31,932.8
Jun-18	41,410.6	31,593.3
Sep-18	41,031.4	29,568.4
Dec-18	41,208.2	28,534.9
Mar-19	41,123.0	27,541.5
Jun-19	39,307.4	26,974.4
Sep-19	40,095.9	26,914.4
Dec-19	39,035.4	26,680.1
Mar-20	39,505.5	26,718.1
Jun-20	38,337.7	28,103.4
Sep-20	37,854.5	27,054.5
Dec-20	38,569.6	26,510.4
Mar-21	38,979.9	26,960.6
Jun-21	39,748.4	28,328.7
Sep-21	39,242.8	27,600.8
Dec-21	39,309.8	28,481.9
Mar-22	39,436.2	28,197.3
Jun-22	38,233.4	28,799.0
Sep-22	39,038.9	30,224.2
Dec-22	39,360.5	30,475.2
Mar-23	40,098.7	33,053.4
Jun-23	40,782.3	34,165.9
Sep-23	40,464.4	34,551.9
Dec-23	40,925.1	35,841.0
Mar-24	40,339.9	35,475.4
Jun-24	40,917.4	35,865.9
Sep-24	40,939.3	36,745.0
Dec-24	41,007.4	37,126.3
Mar-25	41,490.8	36,928.6
Jun-25	41,705.1	38,818.2
Sep-25	43,710.4	36,748.3
Dec-25	44,442.7	36,159.4
Mar-26	44,708.6	38,652.0

Value of construction work done, seasonally adjusted chain volume measures

["","Total building","Engineering construction"]

[["Mar-18","Jun-18","Sep-18","Dec-18","Mar-19","Jun-19","Sep-19","Dec-19","Mar-20","Jun-20","Sep-20","Dec-20","Mar-21","Jun-21","Sep-21","Dec-21","Mar-22","Jun-22","Sep-22","Dec-22","Mar-23","Jun-23","Sep-23","Dec-23","Mar-24","Jun-24","Sep-24","Dec-24","Mar-25","Jun-25","Sep-25","Dec-25","Mar-26"],[[40482.5],[41410.6],[41031.4],[41208.2],[41123],[39307.4],[40095.9],[39035.4],[39505.5],[38337.7],[37854.5],[38569.6],[38979.9],[39748.4],[39242.8],[39309.8],[39436.2],[38233.4],[39038.9],[39360.5],[40098.7],[40782.3],[40464.4],[40925.1],[40339.9],[40917.4],[40939.3],[41007.4],[41490.8],[41705.1],[43710.4],[44442.7],[44708.6]],[[31932.8],[31593.3],[29568.4],[28534.9],[27541.5],[26974.4],[26914.4],[26680.1],[26718.1],[28103.4],[27054.5],[26510.4],[26960.6],[28328.7],[27600.8],[28481.9],[28197.3],[28799],[30224.2],[30475.2],[33053.4],[34165.9],[34551.9],[35841],[35475.4],[35865.9],[36745],[37126.3],[36928.6],[38818.2],[36748.3],[36159.4],[38652]]]

[]

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Reference year for chain volume measures is 2023-24.

The value of total construction work done rose 3.4% to $83,360.6m in the March quarter, in seasonally adjusted terms. Engineering work rose 6.9% in the March quarter and is 4.7% higher than the same time last year. Building work done rose 0.6% in the March quarter and is 7.8% higher than the same time last year.

The trend estimate for total construction work done rose 0.5% in the March quarter.

Mining projects tend to be complex in structure and comprise a number of different investment activities including exploration, engineering construction, plant and equipment and buildings. A feature article released in the March 2012 issue of Private New Capital Expenditure and Expected Expenditure, Australia provides a summary of the conceptual basis of the relevant ABS publications that measure investment in Australia, using a hypothetical mining project to illustrate how this investment is reflected in ABS data.

Value of building work done, seasonally adjusted chain volume measures
	Total residential ($m)	Total non-residential ($m)
Mar-18	26,889.2	13,742.3
Jun-18	27,763.9	13,820.9
Sep-18	27,555.2	13,650.9
Dec-18	27,298.9	14,055.4
Mar-19	26,456.2	14,751.8
Jun-19	25,493.7	13,911.4
Sep-19	25,131.6	14,996.7
Dec-19	24,155.2	14,888.1
Mar-20	23,974.8	15,502.2
Jun-20	23,128.7	15,170.7
Sep-20	23,185.7	14,659.7
Dec-20	24,238.3	14,371.7
Mar-21	24,774.5	14,267.8
Jun-21	25,001.9	14,787.1
Sep-21	24,688.0	14,593.7
Dec-21	24,336.8	14,984.5
Mar-22	24,573.2	14,887.9
Jun-22	23,266.3	14,956.0
Sep-22	23,525.0	15,501.1
Dec-22	24,120.4	15,245.8
Mar-23	24,117.2	15,974.8
Jun-23	24,617.0	16,162.8
Sep-23	24,656.3	15,803.2
Dec-23	23,698.3	17,232.1
Mar-24	23,941.8	16,398.1
Jun-24	24,295.3	16,621.8
Sep-24	24,701.5	16,237.8
Dec-24	25,110.9	15,896.5
Mar-25	25,624.7	15,866.2
Jun-25	25,596.6	16,108.4
Sep-25	26,773.8	16,936.6
Dec-25	27,219.5	17,223.2
Mar-26	27,058.4	17,650.2

Value of building work done, seasonally adjusted chain volume measures

["","Total residential","Total non-residential"]

[["Mar-18","Jun-18","Sep-18","Dec-18","Mar-19","Jun-19","Sep-19","Dec-19","Mar-20","Jun-20","Sep-20","Dec-20","Mar-21","Jun-21","Sep-21","Dec-21","Mar-22","Jun-22","Sep-22","Dec-22","Mar-23","Jun-23","Sep-23","Dec-23","Mar-24","Jun-24","Sep-24","Dec-24","Mar-25","Jun-25","Sep-25","Dec-25","Mar-26"],[[26889.2],[27763.9],[27555.2],[27298.9],[26456.2],[25493.7],[25131.6],[24155.2],[23974.8],[23128.7],[23185.7],[24238.3],[24774.5],[25001.9],[24688],[24336.8],[24573.2],[23266.3],[23525],[24120.4],[24117.2],[24617],[24656.3],[23698.3],[23941.8],[24295.3],[24701.5],[25110.9],[25624.7],[25596.6],[26773.8],[27219.5],[27058.4]],[[13742.3],[13820.9],[13650.9],[14055.4],[14751.8],[13911.4],[14996.7],[14888.1],[15502.2],[15170.7],[14659.7],[14371.7],[14267.8],[14787.1],[14593.7],[14984.5],[14887.9],[14956],[15501.1],[15245.8],[15974.8],[16162.8],[15803.2],[17232.1],[16398.1],[16621.8],[16237.8],[15896.5],[15866.2],[16108.4],[16936.6],[17223.2],[17650.2]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"$m","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"($m)","table_units":"($m)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Reference year for chain volume measures is 2023-24.

The value of building work done rose 0.6% in the March quarter, in seasonally adjusted terms. Non-residential building increased by 2.5% and residential building decreased by 0.6% in the March quarter. Non-residential building work done is 11.2% higher than at the same time last year. Residential building work done is 5.6% higher than at the same time last year.

The trend estimate for total building work done rose 1.7% in the March quarter.

Value of construction work done, seasonally adjusted chain volume measures
State/Territory	Mar qtr 26 ($m)	Dec qtr 25 to Mar qtr 26 (%)	Mar qtr 25 to Mar qtr 26 (%)
New South Wales	23,341.6	-0.7	3.9
Victoria	18,409.0	-5.0	-4.7
Queensland	16,868.4	2.1	6.0
South Australia	5,441.9	-1.0	11.5
Western Australia	16,231.7	30.6	28.5
Tasmania	1,216.0	5.5	8.1
Northern Territory	754.8	-13.3	-28.1
Australian Capital Territory	1,071.3	-10.3	4.8

Reference year for chain volume measures is 2023-24.

Total construction work done rose in Queensland, Western Australia, and Tasmania. Total construction work done fell in all other states and territories.

Data downloads

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Data files

TABLE 01. Value of Construction Work Done, by Sector, Chain Volume Measures, Australia
Download xlsx [93.27 KB]
TABLE 02. Value of Construction Work Done, by Sector, Current Prices, Australia
Download xlsx [93.31 KB]
TABLE 03. Value of Building Work Done, by Sector, Chain Volume Measures, Australia
Download xlsx [120.53 KB]
TABLE 04. Value of Building Work Done, Chain Volume Measures, States and Territories, Original
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TABLE 05. Value of Building Work Done, Chain Volume Measures, States and Territories, Seasonally Adjusted
Download xlsx [151.1 KB]
TABLE 06. Value of Building Work Done, by Sector, Current Prices, Australia
Download xlsx [107.42 KB]
TABLE 07. Value of Building Work Done, by Sector, Current Prices, States and Territories, Original
Download xlsx [187.27 KB]
TABLE 08. Value of Construction Work Done, Chain Volume Measures, States and Territories
Download xlsx [164.18 KB]
TABLE 09. Value of Construction Work Done, Current Prices, States and Territories, Original
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TABLE 10. Engineering Construction Work Done, by Type of Construction, Australia, Original
Download xlsx [137.37 KB]
TABLE 11. Engineering Construction Work Done, by Type of Construction, States and Territories, Original
Download xlsx [183.01 KB]

Data cubes

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Data files

Relative standard errors, building work done - Australia
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Relative standard errors, building work done - states and territories
Download xlsx [32.15 KB]
Relative standard errors, total construction work done - states and territories
Download xlsx [31.06 KB]
Relative standard errors, engineering construction work done - Australia
Download xlsx [31.37 KB]
Relative standard errors, engineering construction work done - states and territories
Download xlsx [32.33 KB]

About this issue

This publication provides an early indication of trends in building and engineering construction activity. The data are preliminary estimates with a response rate of approximately 80% of surveyed construction entities during the quarter. These estimates are subject to revision when results are updated in Engineering Construction Activity, Australia on 24 June 2026 and in Building Activity, Australia on 8 July 2026.

Significant revisions made to reference quarters prior to the previous quarter are published once per year in the March release. This release includes revisions to Building Activity data from March 2019 to September 2025 and revisions to Engineering Construction data from December 2020 to September 2025. A feature article has been included in the December 2015 Building Activity, Australia publication explaining potential sources of revisions in more detail.

A feature article was recently released describing how data centre investment is recorded in economic statistics, including how the construction of data centres is measured in Building Activity.

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 8755.0.

Changes this release

The Building Activity Survey introduced a new webform platform in March 2026. The number and wording of the survey questions were not changed. There were no data quality impacts following the new webform implementation.

Methodology

Scope

Building activity in Australia on approved work greater than $10,000.
All engineering construction work undertaken in Australia.

Geography

Data available for:

Australia
States and territories

Source

Building Activity Survey
Engineering Construction Survey

Collection method

Sample of contractors likely to conduct engineering construction activities, selected from the ABS business register each quarter.
Survey responses from builders and other individuals and organisations engaged in building activity.

Concepts, sources and methods

Engineering Construction:

Building Activity:

ABS Functional Classification of Buildings, January 2021.

History of changes

Trend series were reinstated in the September 2022 release.
Concurrent seasonal adjustment for building activity was reinstated in the September 2022 release.

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APA

Citation

Construction Work Done, Australia, Preliminary

APA

Citation

Key statistics

Value of construction work done

Data downloads

Data downloads

TABLE 01. Value of Construction Work Done, by Sector, Chain Volume Measures, Australia

TABLE 02. Value of Construction Work Done, by Sector, Current Prices, Australia

TABLE 03. Value of Building Work Done, by Sector, Chain Volume Measures, Australia

TABLE 04. Value of Building Work Done, Chain Volume Measures, States and Territories, Original

TABLE 05. Value of Building Work Done, Chain Volume Measures, States and Territories, Seasonally Adjusted

TABLE 06. Value of Building Work Done, by Sector, Current Prices, Australia

TABLE 07. Value of Building Work Done, by Sector, Current Prices, States and Territories, Original

TABLE 08. Value of Construction Work Done, Chain Volume Measures, States and Territories

TABLE 09. Value of Construction Work Done, Current Prices, States and Territories, Original

TABLE 10. Engineering Construction Work Done, by Type of Construction, Australia, Original

TABLE 11. Engineering Construction Work Done, by Type of Construction, States and Territories, Original

Data cubes

Relative standard errors, building work done - Australia

Relative standard errors, building work done - states and territories

Relative standard errors, total construction work done - states and territories

Relative standard errors, engineering construction work done - Australia

Relative standard errors, engineering construction work done - states and territories

About this issue

Previous catalogue number

Changes this release

Methodology

Scope

Geography

Source

Collection method

Concepts, sources and methods

History of changes

Do you need more detailed statistics?

Request data

Microdata and TableBuilder

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