Construction Work Done, Australia, Preliminary

The value of total construction work done fell 2.6% in the September quarter, in seasonally adjusted terms. The fall was driven by engineering construction, which fell 3.3% in the September quarter, but remains 0.1% higher than at the same time last year. Building work done fell 2.0%, and is 7.2% lower than at the same time last year. 

The value of building work done fell 2.0% in the September quarter, in seasonally adjusted terms. The fall was driven by non-residential building work done, which fell 3.4% in the September quarter, and is 4.5% lower than at the same time last year. Residential building work done declined by 1.0%, and is 8.9% lower than at the same time last year.

Total construction work done fell in all states and territories, with the exception of the Northern Territory, which rose 3.9%.

This publication provides an early indication of trends in building and engineering construction activity. The data are estimates based on a response rate of approximately 75% of the value of both building and engineering work done during the quarter. This is lower than the average response rate due to difficulties collecting data this quarter due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has not significantly impacted the quality of the estimates. More comprehensive and updated results will be released in Engineering Construction Activity, Australia on 13 January 2021 and in Building Activity, Australia on 20 January 2021.

A new base year, 2018-19, has been introduced in the chain volume estimates resulting in revisions to growth rates in subsequent periods. In addition, the chain volume estimates have been re-referenced to 2018-19, preserving additivity in the quarters after the reference year. Re-referencing affects the levels of, but not the movements in, chain volume estimates. For further information, see the Methodology.

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.

The designation of construction as an essential service enabled activity to progress despite social distancing restrictions implemented from late March. Restrictions on activity in the September quarter were limited to Victoria, where work was able to continue, although at reduced capacity for some projects. 

Federal and state-based incentives are providing support for the detached housing and renovations sectors. Private investment in the non-residential sector remains weak, with falling building approvals since June 2020, although there will be a lag between any change in demand, the number of applications and the subsequent impacts on activity.

The ABS appreciates the support of survey respondents in continuing to provide the data to compile this publication.

The trend series attempts to measure underlying behaviour in construction activity. This measurement will be significantly affected by changes to regular patterns in activity during this time, as the construction industry faces on-going uncertainty. If the trend estimates in this publication were to be calculated without fully accounting for this irregular event, they would likely provide a misleading view of underlying construction activity.

It may be some time before the underlying trend in construction activity can be accurately estimated. The trend series have therefore been suspended starting from June 2020. The trend series will be reinstated when more certainty emerges in the underlying trend.

Building and Engineering Activity use the concurrent seasonal adjustment method, meaning that seasonal factors are re-estimated each time a new data point becomes available. If not appropriately accounted for, unusual real-world events, such as COVID-19, can distort estimates calculated using this method. From September 2020, seasonal factors for Private sector non-residential building work done in Victoria are being calculated using data up to and including June 2020, then projected from September 2020 onwards. This approach, known as the forward factor method, ensures that the seasonal factors are not distorted by COVID-19 impacts.

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This release previously used catalogue number 8755.0.