8750.0 - Dwelling Unit Commencements, Australia, Preliminary, Mar 2004  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 22/06/2004   
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MARCH KEY FIGURES

Mar qtr 04
Dec qtr 03 to Mar qtr 04
Mar qtr 03 to Mar qtr 04
no.
% change
% change

Trend estimates

Dwelling units commenced
New private sector houses
29,995
3.0
11.5
Total dwelling units
44,747
3.4
8.3

Seasonally Adjusted

Dwelling units commenced
New private sector houses
28,952
-3.9
4.8
Total dwelling units
43,637
-2.7
4.9

Dwelling units commenced - Total
Graph: Dwelling Units Commenced, Total: Trend and Seasonally Adjusted

New houses commenced - Private sector
Graph: New Houses Commenced, Private Sector: Trend and Seasonally Adjusted



MARCH KEY POINTS


TREND ESTIMATES

  • The trend estimate for the total number of dwelling units commenced rose 3.4% in the March quarter 2004, the third successive quarterly increase.
  • New private sector houses rose 3.0% in the latest quarter, but the rate of growth has eased for the last two quarters.


SEASONALLY ADJUSTED ESTIMATES
  • In seasonally adjusted terms, the total number of dwelling units commenced fell 2.7%, to 43,637, in the March quarter.
  • New private sector house commencements fell 3.9%, to 28,952, following increases in the previous two quarters.
  • Tasmania recorded the largest increase in the total number of dwelling commencements (+20.2%, to the highest number since the December quarter 1994), followed by New South Wales (+18.9%) and Western Australia (+3.5% to the highest for four years). The Australian Capital Territory showed the largest decrease (-20.5%), followed by Victoria (-15.1%), Queensland (-9.4%, but still the second highest since the December quarter 1994) and South Australia (-4.1%).


NOTES


ABOUT THIS ISSUE

This publication provides an early indication of trends in the number of dwelling units commenced. The data are estimates based on a response rate of approximately 90% of a sample of building jobs collected in the Building Activity Survey. More comprehensive and updated results will be released in Building Activity, Australia (cat. no. 8752.0) on 20 July 2004.



CHANGES IN THIS ISSUE

The Explanatory Notes have been revised by the inclusion of a separate Glossary of terms.



SIGNIFICANT REVISIONS THIS ISSUE

The total number of dwelling units commenced in Australia during the December quarter 2003 has been revised downwards by 315 (-0.7%) from the estimate published in Building Activity, Australia, December quarter 2003 (cat. no. 8752.0) released on 19 April 2004.



INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 or Tony Bammann on Adelaide (08) 8237 7316.



SUMMARY COMMENTARY


DWELLING UNIT COMMENCEMENTS

ORIGINAL ESTIMATES

Mar qtr 04
Dec qtr 03 to Mar qtr 04
Mar qtr 03 to Mar qtr 04
no.
% change
% change

Dwelling units commenced
New private sector houses
26,886
-12.6
4.4
Other private sector dwellings
12,472
-16.6
3.6
Public sector dwellings
780
14.7
11.9
Total dwelling units
40,138
-13.5
4.3

  • The total number of dwelling units commenced fell 13.5% in the March quarter 2004, to 40,138.
  • New private sector house commencements fell 12.6%, to 26,886. The Australian Capital Territory recorded the largest percentage decrease (-35.2%) followed by the Northern Territory (-30.3%), Queensland (-16.9%), New South Wales (-13.5%), Victoria (-13.2%), South Australia (-11.8%) and Western Australia (-2.5%). Tasmania (+2.7%) was the only state or territory to record an increase.
  • Other private sector dwellings fell 16.6% to 12,472. Most states and territories recorded falls of almost 30% or more. However, Tasmania recorded an increase of more than 170% and New South Wales an increase of 18.2%.
  • The total number of public sector dwellings commenced rose 14.7% to 780. The increase was from the second lowest level on record.

Graph: Dwelling Unit Commencements, Original Estimates for Total Dwelling Units, New Private Sector Houses and Other Private Sector Dwellings



DWELLING UNIT COMMENCEMENTS

STATES AND TERRITORIES

NEW SOUTH WALES

The trend estimate of commencements has risen for the last two quarters, following four quarters of decline.

Graph: Dwelling Unit Commencements, New South Wales: Trend and Seasonally Adjusted


VICTORIA

The trend estimate of commencements has risen for the last three quarters, following four quarters of decline.

Graph: Dwelling Unit Commencements, Victoria: Trend and Seasonally Adjusted


QUEENSLAND

After a small downturn in late 2002 to early 2003, the trend estimate of commencements has risen for the last four quarters.

Graph: Dwelling Unit Commencements, Queensland: Trend and Seasonally Adjusted


SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The trend estimate of commencements has been flat for the last four quarters.

Graph: Dwelling Unit Commencements, South Australia: Trend and Seasonally Adjusted


WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The trend estimate of commencements has risen steadily for the last three years, with an increasing rate of growth for the last three quarters.

Graph: Dwelling Unit Commencements, Western Australia: Trend and Seasonally Adjusted


TASMANIA

Other than a brief lull in the last half of 2002, the trend estimate of commencements has shown strong growth for the last three years.

Graph: Dwelling Unit Commencements, Tasmania: Trend and Seasonally Adjusted


NORTHERN TERRITORY

Since arresting a downward trend in the March quarter 2001, the trend estimate of commencements has been relatively flat, although the last three quarters have shown strong growth.

Graph: Dwelling Unit Commencements, Northern Territory: Trend


AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

The trend estimate of commencements has risen for the last two quarters, following three quarters of decline.

Graph: Dwelling Unit Commencements, Australian Capital Territory: Trend and Seasonally Adjusted