2 March 2017
The number of dwellings approved fell 2.1 per cent in January 2017, in trend terms, and has fallen for eight months, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today.

In trend terms, dwelling approvals decreased in January in the Australian Capital Territory (19.4 per cent), Queensland (6.8 per cent), New South Wales (4.8 per cent), Northern Territory (1.7 per cent) and Western Australia (0.3 per cent). Dwelling approvals increased, in trend terms, in Tasmania (3.0 per cent), Victoria (2.9 per cent) and South Australia (1.1 per cent).

In trend terms, approvals for private sector houses fell 1.2 per cent in January. Private sector house approvals fell in New South Wales (2.2 per cent), South Australia (1.4 per cent), Western Australia (1.4 per cent), Queensland (1.0 per cent) and Victoria (0.3 per cent).

In seasonally adjusted terms, dwelling approvals increased by 1.8 per cent in January, driven by a rise in total dwellings excluding houses (6.6 per cent). Total house approvals fell 2.2 per cent

The value of total building approved fell 2.9 per cent in January, in trend terms, and has fallen for six months. The value of residential building fell 0.9 per cent while non-residential building fell 6.8 per cent.

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