8731.0 - Building Approvals, Australia, Jul 2019 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 30/08/2019   
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30 August 2019

MEDIA RELEASE
Embargoed 11:30am (AEDT)
Dwelling approvals fall in July

The total number of dwellings approved in Australia fell by 3.2 per cent in July 2019 in trend terms, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today.

"The fall continues to be driven by private dwellings excluding houses, which decreased by 7.3 per cent in July," said Daniel Rossi, Director of Construction Statistics at the ABS. "Private sector houses also fell, by 1.0 per cent."

Among the states and territories, dwelling approvals fell in the Australian Capital Territory (22.4 per cent), New South Wales (6.5 per cent), Tasmania (3.8 per cent), Western Australia (3.7 per cent) and Victoria (2.1 per cent) in trend terms. Dwelling approvals rose in South Australia (1.9 per cent) and Queensland (1.1 per cent), while the Northern Territory was flat.

In trend terms, declines in approvals for private sector houses were recorded in Western Australia (3.8 per cent), South Australia (1.6 per cent), Queensland (0.8 per cent) and Victoria (0.6 per cent). Private house approvals in New South Wales were flat.

In seasonally adjusted terms, total dwellings fell by 9.7 per cent. The decline was driven by falls in Victoria (24.3 per cent) and New South Wales (17.5 per cent). Meanwhile, increases in total dwellings approved were recorded in South Australia (34.8 per cent), Tasmania (21.5 per cent), Queensland (10.9 per cent) and Western Australia (5.8 per cent). Private dwellings excluding houses fell 18.4 per cent, while private house approvals declined 3.3 per cent.

The value of total building approved fell 1.0 per cent in July, in trend terms, and has fallen for four months. The value of residential building fell 1.9 per cent while non-residential building rose 0.3 per cent.

Further information is available in Building Approvals, Australia (cat no. 8731.0).

Media note:
  • When reporting ABS data, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or ABS) must be attributed as the source.
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