Building Approvals, Australia

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Provides the number and value of dwelling units approved and the number and value of non-residential building jobs approved

Reference period
March 2020
Released
4/05/2020

Key statistics

  • The trend estimate for total dwellings approved rose 1.3%.
  • The seasonally adjusted estimate for total dwellings approved fell 4.0%.
  • The trend estimate for private sector houses approved rose 0.2%.
  • The seasonally adjusted estimate for private sector houses fell 1.2%.

Main features

March key figures

  Mar 20Feb 20 to Mar 20Mar 19 to Mar 20
  no.%%
TREND   
 Total dwelling units approved15 2341.31.0
 Private sector houses8 6290.2-2.0
 Private sector dwellings excluding houses6 4202.85.2
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED   
 Total dwelling units approved15 279-4.00.2
 Private sector houses8 520-1.2-2.2
 Private sector dwellings excluding houses6 538-8.23.4

March key points

Total dwelling units

  • The trend estimate for total dwellings approved rose 1.3% in March.
  • The seasonally adjusted estimate for total dwellings approved fell 4.0% in March.
     

Private sector houses

  • The trend estimate for private sector houses approved rose 0.2% in March.
  • The seasonally adjusted estimate for private sector houses fell 1.2% in March.
     

Private sector dwellings excluding houses

  • The trend estimate for private sector dwellings excluding houses rose 2.8% in March.
  • The seasonally adjusted estimate for private sector dwellings excluding houses fell 8.2% in March.
     

Value of building approved

  • The trend estimate of the value of total building approved rose 1.3% in March and has risen for four months. The value of residential building rose 0.5% and has risen for seven months. The value of non-residential building rose 2.3% and has risen for three months.
  • The seasonally adjusted estimate of the value of total building approved fell 6.5% in March. The value of residential building fell 5.9%, while the value of non-residential building fell 7.3%.
     

​​​​​​​Data notes

In this release, revisions are provided for the time period from July 2018 to February 2020. Further information about potential sources of revisions can be found in the feature article released with the January 2016 8731.0 publication - "Revisions to Building Approval Statistics".

Small area data cubes and CSV files will be made available in an “Additional Information” release five business days after the main publication. These will be for Statistical Area Level 2 and Local Government Areas. Release dates are published under the “Forthcoming Issues” section of the publication and in ABS Release Advice.

A number of time series spreadsheets contain ‘np’ (not available for publication) annotations. This is due to confidential data being contained in these series.

Managing the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on building approvals statistics

The ABS is currently monitoring for potential impacts from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) on building approvals statistics and will continue to do so for the period of the pandemic.

Quality assurance of March data did not identify any major impact to headline statistics. Since it takes some time to approve an application for building construction work, there will be a lag between any change in the number of applications, and the statistics presented in this publication.

The ABS is actively managing the potential risks from COVID-19 to data collection operations. The ABS appreciates the support of federal, state and local government in continuing to provide the data to compile this publication.

Revisions this month

Revisions to the total number of dwelling units approved in this issue are:

Dwellings2018-192019-20
NSW-375
Vic.-114
Qld-46
SA-19
WA-127
Tas.--
NT--
ACT-51
Total-13602

Building approvals

The trend estimate for Australia rose 1.3% in March.

The trend estimate for private sector houses approved rose 0.2% in March.

The trend estimate for private sector dwelling units excluding houses rose 2.8% in March.

The trend estimate for the value of new residential building approved rose 0.5% in March and has risen for seven months.

The trend estimate for the value of alterations and additions to residential building rose 0.3% in March and has risen for four months.

The trend estimate for the value of non-residential building approved rose 2.3% in March and has risen for three months.

Dwelling units approved, state trends

The trend estimate for total number of dwelling units approved in New South Wales rose 5.2% in March. The trend estimate for the number of private sector houses rose 1.4% in March.

The trend estimate for total number of dwelling units approved in Victoria rose 0.7% in March. The trend estimate for the number of private sector houses rose 0.1% in March.

The trend estimate for total number of dwelling units approved in Queensland fell 1.8% in March. The trend estimate for the number of private sector houses fell 0.9% in March.

The trend estimate for total number of dwelling units approved in South Australia fell 4.9% in March. The trend estimate for the number of private sector houses fell 1.4% in March.

The trend estimate for total number of dwelling units approved in Western Australia rose 2.2% in March. The trend estimate for the number of private sector houses fell 0.1% in March.

Article archive

Characteristics of apartment approvals, September 2019 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Growth in approvals, December 2018 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Change in composition of dwelling approvals, July 2016 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Implementation of the Australian Statistical Geography Standard in ABS Building Approvals collection, April 2011 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Average floor area of new residential dwellings, February 2010 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Average quarterly completion times for new houses, July 2008 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Changes in the mix of dwelling types, April 2008 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Average floor area of new residential dwellings, February 2008 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Are we building on smaller blocks?, July 2004 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Focus on the South Australian Construction Industry, June 2004 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Focus on the Tasmanian Construction Industry, June 2004 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Focus on the Queensland Construction Industry, May 2004 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Focus on the Victorian Construction Industry, April 2004 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Engineering Construction, March 2004 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Focus on the New South Wales Construction Industry, February 2004 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Average floor area of new dwellings, December 2003 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Work done on housing jobs each quarter, March 2003 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Inner city development, December 2002 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Functional classification of buildings, August 2002 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Building activity in Sydney and Melbourne, July 2002 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Changes in the mix of dwelling types, May 2002 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Construction Industry information, April 2002 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Average value of new houses, March 2002 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Largest and fastest growing areas in Australia, November 2001 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Functional classification of buildings, August 2001 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Average floor area of new dwellings, July 2001 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Identifying growth areas, May 2001 (cat. no. 8731.0)

Additional Building and Construction feature articles can be found in Feature Articles by Catalogue Number.

Inquiries

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070. The ABS Privacy Policy outlines how the ABS will handle any personal information that you provide to us.

Interactive map

To view the interactive map, click here

How to use

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  • Search: the search icon opens the search function. It is set to look for locations such as addresses, suburbs and postcodes contained within an SA2 or LGA.
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More information

Data downloads - time series spreadsheets

Table 01. Number of dwelling units approved, by sector, all series - New South Wales

Table 02. Number of dwelling units approved, by sector, all series - Victoria

Table 03. Number of dwelling units approved, by sector, all series - Queensland

Table 04. Number of dwelling units approved, by sector, all series - South Australia

Table 05. Number of dwelling units approved, by sector, all series - Western Australia

Table 06. Number of dwelling units approved, by sector, all series - Australia

Table 07. Total number of dwelling units approved - states and territories

Table 08. Number of private sector houses approved - states and territories

Table 09. Number of dwelling units approved, original, states and territories

Table 10. Number of dwelling units approved, by greater capital city statistical area - original

Table 11. Number of dwelling units approved, by sector, original - Australia

Table 12. Number of dwelling units approved, by sector, original - New South Wales

Table 13. Number of dwelling units approved, by sector, original - Victoria

Table 14. Number of dwelling units approved, by sector, original - Queensland

Table 15. Number of dwelling units approved, by sector, original - South Australia

Table 16. Number of dwelling units approved, by sector, original - Western Australia

Table 17. Number of dwelling units approved, by sector, original - Tasmania

Table 18. Number of dwelling units approved, by sector, original - Northern Territory

Table 19. Number of dwelling units approved, by sector, original - Australian Capital Territory

Table 20. Number of dwelling units approved in new residential buildings, original - Australia

Table 21. Value of dwelling units approved in new residential buildings, original, Australia

Table 22. Dwelling units approved in new residential buildings, number and value, original - New South Wales

Table 23. Dwelling units approved in new residential buildings, number and value, original - Victoria

Table 24. Dwelling units approved in new residential buildings, number and value, original - Queensland

Table 25. Dwelling units approved in new residential buildings, number and value, original - South Australia

Table 26. Dwelling units approved in new residential buildings, number and value, original - Western Australia

Table 27. Dwelling units approved in new residential buildings, number and value, original - Tasmania

Table 28. Dwelling units approved in new residential buildings, number and value, original - Northern Territory

Table 29. Dwelling units approved in new residential buildings, number and value, original - Australian Capital Territory

Table 30. Value of building approved - New South Wales

Table 31. Value of building approved - Victoria

Table 32. Value of building approved - Queensland

Table 33. Value of building approved - South Australia

Table 34. Value of building approved - Western Australia

Table 35. Value of building approved - Tasmania

Table 36. Value of building approved - Northern Territory

Table 37. Value of building approved - Australian Capital Territory

Table 38. Value of building approved - Australia

Table 39. Value of total building approved - states and territories

Table 40. Value of residential building approved - states and territories

Table 41. Value of non-residential building approved - states and territories

Table 42. Value of building approved, by sector, original - Australia

Table 43. Value of building approved, by sector, original - New South Wales

Table 44. Value of building approved, by sector, original - Victoria

Table 45. Value of building approved, by sector, original - Queensland

Table 46. Value of building approved, by sector, original - South Australia

Table 47. Value of building approved, by sector, original - Western Australia

Table 48. Value of building approved, by sector, original - Tasmania

Table 49. Value of building approved, by sector, original - Northern Territory

Table 50. Value of building approved, by sector, original - Australian Capital Territory

Table 51. Value of non-residential building approved, by sector, original - Australia

Table 52. Value of non-residential building approved, by sector, original - New South Wales

Table 53. Value of non-residential building approved, by sector, original - Victoria

Table 54. Value of non-residential building approved, by sector, original - Queensland

Table 55. Value of non-residential building approved, by sector, original - South Australia

Table 56. Value of non-residential building approved, by sector, original - Western Australia

Table 57. Value of non-residential building approved, by sector, original - Tasmania

Table 58. Value of non-residential building approved, by sector, original - Northern Territory

Table 59. Value of non-residential building approved, by sector, original - Australian Capital Territory

Table 60. Number of non-residential building jobs approved, by value range, original - New South Wales

Table 61. Number of non-residential building jobs approved, by value range, original - Victoria

Table 62. Number of non-residential building jobs approved, by value range, original - Queensland

Table 63. Number of non-residential building jobs approved, by value range, original - South Australia

Table 64. Number of non-residential building jobs approved, by value range, original - Western Australia

Table 65. Number of non-residential building jobs approved, by value range, original - Tasmania

Table 66. Number of non-residential building jobs approved, by value range, original - Northern Territory

Table 67. Number of non-residential building jobs approved, by value range, original - Australian Capital Territory

Table 68. Number of non-residential building jobs approved, by value range, original - Australia

Table 69. Value of non-residential building approved, by value range, original - New South Wales

Table 70. Value of non-residential building approved, by value range, original - Victoria

Table 71. Value of non-residential building approved, by value range, original - Queensland

Table 72. Value of non-residential building approved, by value range, original - South Australia

Table 73. Value of non-residential building approved, by value range, original - Western Australia

Table 74. Value of non-residential building approved, by value range, original - Tasmania

Table 75. Value of non-residential building approved, by value range, original - Northern Territory

Table 76. Value of non-residential building approved, by value range, original - Australian Capital Territory

Table 77. Value of non-residential building approved, by value range, original - Australia

Table 78. Value of building approved, chain volume measures - Australia

Table 79. Value of building approved, chain volume measures, original - New South Wales

Table 80. Value of building approved, chain volume measures, original - Victoria

Table 81. Value of building approved, chain volume measures, original - Queensland

Table 82. Value of building approved, chain volume measures, original - South Australia

Table 83. Value of building approved, chain volume measures, original - Western Australia

Table 84. Value of building approved, chain volume measures, original - Tasmania

Table 85. Value of building approved, chain volume measures, original - Northern Territory

Table 86. Value of building approved, chain volume measures, original - Australian Capital Territory

All time series workbooks

Data downloads - data cubes

Building approvals: data items available by Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS)

NSW, SA2 Excel datacube, 2018-2019

NSW, SA2 Excel datacube, 2019-2020 FYTD

NSW, LGA Excel datacube, 2018-2019

NSW, LGA Excel datacube, 2019-2020 FYTD

Vic., SA2 Excel datacube, 2018-2019

Vic., SA2 Excel datacube, 2019-2020 FYTD

Vic., LGA Excel datacube, 2018-2019

Vic., LGA Excel datacube, 2019-2020 FYTD

QLD, SA2 Excel datacube, 2018-2019

QLD, SA2 Excel datacube, 2019-2020 FYTD

QLD, LGA Excel datacube, 2018-2019

QLD, LGA Excel datacube, 2019-2020 FYTD

SA, SA2 Excel datacube, 2018-2019

SA, SA2 Excel datacube, 2019-2020 FYTD

SA, LGA Excel datacube, 2018-2019

SA, LGA Excel datacube, 2019-2020 FYTD

WA, SA2 Excel datacube, 2018-2019

WA, SA2 Excel datacube, 2019-2020 FYTD

WA, LGA Excel datacube, 2018-2019

WA, LGA Excel datacube, 2019-2020 FYTD

Tas., SA2 Excel datacube, 2018-2019

Tas., SA2 Excel datacube, 2019-2020 FYTD

Tas., LGA Excel datacube, 2018-2019

Tas., LGA Excel datacube, 2019-2020 FYTD

NT, SA2 Excel datacube, 2018-2019

NT, SA2 Excel datacube, 2019-2020 FYTD

NT, LGA Excel datacube, 2018-2019

NT, LGA Excel datacube, 2019-2020 FYTD

ACT, SA2 Excel datacube, 2018-2019

ACT, SA2 Excel datacube, 2019-2020 FYTD

ACT, LGA Excel datacube, 2018-2019

ACT, LGA Excel datacube, 2019-2020 FYTD

Building approvals: data cubes validation table

Local government area: Australia, 2018-2019 (.CSV)

Local government area: Australia, 2019-2020 FYTD (.CSV)

Statistical Area Level 2: Australia, 2018-2019 (.CSV)

Statistical Area Level 2: Australia, 2019-2020 FYTD (.CSV)

History of changes

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