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
May 2020
Released
1/07/2020

Key statistics

  • The seasonally adjusted estimate for total dwelling units approved fell 16.4%.
  • The seasonally adjusted estimate for private sector houses fell 4.4%.
  • The seasonally adjusted estimate for private sector dwellings excluding houses fell 34.9%.

Main features

May key figures

  May 20Apr 20 to May 20May 19 to May 20
  no.%%
TREND   
 Total dwelling units approvednanana
 Private sector housesnanana
 Private sector dwellings excluding housesnanana
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED   
 Total dwelling units approved12 736-16.4-11.6
 Private sector houses8 515-4.4-0.4
 Private sector dwellings excluding houses3 920-34.9-30.6

na not available

 

May key points

Total dwelling units

  • The seasonally adjusted estimate for total dwellings approved fell 16.4% in May.
     

Private sector houses

  • The seasonally adjusted estimate for private sector houses fell 4.4% in May.
     

Private sector dwellings excluding houses

    • The seasonally adjusted estimate for private sector dwellings excluding houses fell 34.9% in May.
       

    Value of building approved

      • The seasonally adjusted estimate of the value of total building approved fell 13.5% in May. The value of residential building fell 17.3%, while the value of non-residential building fell 7.1%.
         

      Data notes

      In this release, revisions are provided for the time period from July 2018 to April 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 "Future releases" drop down list 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.

      Coronavirus (COVID-19) in May

      The World Health Organisation (WHO) commenced daily situation reports of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on 21 January 2020 and identified it as an international health emergency on 30 January. In March, regulations to encourage social distancing saw further impacts on the ability of businesses to trade as normal, resulting in rising unemployment and reduced household income. Travel restrictions have reduced the number of overseas arrivals to near-zero, resulting in less housing demand from overseas migrants.

      Minor effects of COVID-19 are apparent in the headline Building Approvals results in May 2020. Due to the lag between changes in demand, and the submission and determination of a building approval, the May data likely reflects applications and levels of demand prior to the introduction of major restrictions. However, the number of applications approved in May was slightly lower than normal across most states and territories.

      Data collection activities continued to be largely unaffected in the May 2020 reference period. The ABS appreciates the support of federal, state and local government in continuing to provide the data to compile this publication.

      Suspension of trend series

      The trend series attempts to measure underlying behaviour in building approval activity. In the short term, this measurement will be significantly affected by changes to regular patterns in approval activity during this time, as potential home builders face 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 approval activity.

      It may be some time before the underlying trend in building approvals can be accurately estimated. The Building Approvals monthly trend series have therefore been suspended starting from May 2020. The trend series will be reinstated when more certainty emerges in the underlying trend.

      Please note that due to the suppression of trend data, the "State Trends" page has not been included in this publication. The seasonally adjusted percentage change movements can be found in the Media Release.

      Update to seasonal adjustment methods

        Building Approvals uses 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 May 2020, seasonal factors are being calculated using data up to and including April 2020, then projected from May 2020 onwards. This approach, known as the forward factor method, ensures that the seasonal factors are not distorted by COVID-19 impacts.

        Revisions this month

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

        Dwellings2018-192019-20
        NSW16233
        Vic.-2
        Qld338
        SA1-4
        WA--2
        Tas.-2
        NT--
        ACT--
        Total20269

        Building approvals


        The seasonally adjusted estimate for Australia fell 16.4% in May.


        The seasonally adjusted estimate for private sector houses approved fell 4.4% in May.


        The seasonally adjusted estimate for private sector dwelling units excluding houses fell 34.9% in May.


        The seasonally adjusted estimate for the value of new residential building fell 19.4% in May.


        The seasonally adjusted estimate for the value of alterations and additions to residential building was flat in May.


        The seasonally adjusted estimate for the value of non-residential building approved fell 7.1% in May.

        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

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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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