8731.0 - Building Approvals, Australia, Mar 2016 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 03/05/2016   
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MEDIA RELEASE
3 May 2016
Embargoed: 11.30 am (Canberra time)
58/2016
Dwelling approvals rise in March

The number of dwellings approved rose 0.6 per cent in March 2016, in trend terms, and has now risen for four months, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today.

Dwelling approvals increased in March in the Australian Capital Territory (18.9 per cent), Western Australia (1.1 per cent), Queensland (0.8 per cent) and Victoria (0.2 per cent) in trend terms. Dwelling approvals decreased in the Northern Territory (18.1 per cent), Tasmania (1.5 per cent), New South Wales (0.3 per cent) and South Australia (0.1 per cent) in trend terms.

In trend terms, approvals for private sector houses rose 0.3 per cent in March. Private sector house approvals rose in Victoria (1.7 per cent), but fell in South Australia (0.8 per cent), Western Australia (0.7 per cent) and Queensland (0.2 per cent). Private sector house approvals were flat in New South Wales.

In seasonally adjusted terms, dwelling approvals increased 3.7 per cent. Private sector house approvals rose 2.6 per cent, while private sector dwellings excluding houses rose 6.7 per cent.
The value of total building approved fell 0.9 per cent in March, in trend terms, and has fallen for eight months. The value of residential building rose 0.4 per cent while non-residential building fell 3.9 per cent.

Further information is available in Building Approvals, Australia (cat no. 8731.0) on the ABS website at https://www.abs.gov.au.

Media note:
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