MEDIA RELEASE
1 December 2015	Embargo: 11:30 am (Canberra Time)	133/2015

ABS Building Approvals show that the number of dwellings approved fell 0.6 per cent in October 2015, in trend terms, and has fallen for seven months.

Dwelling approvals decreased in October in the Australian Capital Territory (10.8 per cent), New South Wales (2.9 per cent), Western Australia (2.5 per cent) and Queensland (0.2 per cent), but increased in the Northern Territory (7.1 per cent), South Australia (4.4 per cent), Victoria (1.6 per cent) and Tasmania (0.8 per cent) in trend terms.

In trend terms, approvals for private sector houses fell 0.5 per cent in October. Private sector house approvals fell in Western Australia (3.2 per cent) and New South Wales (2.0 per cent), but rose in Victoria (1.5 per cent), South Australia (1.2 per cent) and Queensland (0.9 per cent) in trend terms.

The value of total building approved fell 0.3 per cent in October, in trend terms, and has fallen for three months. The value of residential building fell 0.4 per cent, while non-residential building fell 0.2 per cent in trend terms.

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

Media note:

• When reporting ABS data you must attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source.
• Media requests and interviews - contact the ABS Communications Section on 1300 175 070.