30 May 2013

Embargo: 11.30 am (Canberra time)

95/2013

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Building Approvals show that the total number of dwellings approved have risen in April, in trend terms, for the first time in 2013. This followed decreases in January to February 2013 and nil growth in March 2013.

Dwelling approvals decreased in April in the Australian Capital Territory (-2.2 per cent), Victoria (-1.1 per cent) and South Australia (-0.8 per cent) but increased in Northern Territory (8.7 per cent), Tasmania (2.9 per cent), Western Australia (2.5 per cent), New South Wales (0.7 per cent) and Queensland (0.5 per cent) in trend terms.

Dwelling approval trends have been rising for more than one year in both Western Australia and Queensland (15 months each) while falling for the last nine months in Victoria.

In trend terms, approvals for private sector houses rose 1.0 per cent in April, the fourth consecutive monthly increase. Of the states and territories, Western Australia (1.9 per cent), New South Wales (1.3 per cent) and Victoria (1.1 per cent) experienced the largest rises in private sector house approvals. In New South Wales the trend has been rising since April last year (13 months). Private sector house approvals rose in Queensland (0.2 per cent) for the first time since February 2012.

The trend value of total building approved rose 1.2 per cent in April and has now risen for 15 months. The values of residential building rose 0.1 per cent and non-residential building rose 2.7 per cent.

This media release focuses on movements in the trend as seasonally adjusted month to month movements can be highly volatile and are not necessarily indicative of the underlying strength in approvals data.

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

Media Note: Please ensure when reporting on ABS data that you attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source.