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MARCH KEY FIGURES

		Mar qtr 07	Dec qtr 06 to Mar qtr 07	Mar qtr 06 to Mar qtr 07
		$m	% change	% change
TREND ESTIMATES(a)
Value of work done
	Building	15 537.8	0.9	6.0
	Residential	9 484.2	1.3	4.2
	Non-residential	6 049.9	0.2	8.7
	Engineering	11 421.2	3.0	7.2
	Total construction	26 973.7	1.8	6.5
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED ESTIMATES(a)
Value of work done
	Building	15 544.4	0.8	7.5
	Residential	9 592.6	3.4	7.5
	Non-residential	5 951.8	-3.1	7.4
	Engineering	11 689.3	5.4	10.9
	Total construction	27 233.6	2.7	8.9
(a) Reference year for Chain Volume Measures is 2004-05.

Value of construction work done, Volume terms - Trend estimates

Value of building work done, Volume terms - Trend estimates

MARCH KEY POINTS


VALUE OF CONSTRUCTION WORK DONE, VOLUME TERMS

TREND ESTIMATES

• The trend estimate for building work done rose 0.9% in the March quarter 2007. Residential building rose 1.3% and non-residential rose 0.2%.
• Engineering work done rose 3.0% in the latest quarter.
• Total construction work done rose 1.8% in the latest quarter.

• The seasonally adjusted estimate of building work done rose 0.8% in the March quarter 2007, to $15,544.4m. Residential building rose 3.4% to $9,592.6m. Non-residential building fell 3.1%, to $5 951.8m.
• Engineering work done rose 5.4%, to $11,689.3m, in the March quarter 2007.
• Total construction work done rose 2.7%, to $27,233.6m, in the latest quarter.

• Please see "Changes in this Issue" on page 2 regarding the treatment of Telstra Corporation in these data from this quarter.

CHANGES IN THIS ISSUE

Telstra Corporation was effectively privatised on 20 November 2006. For the purpose of ABS statistics this change from public sector to private sector is effective from March quarter 2007. This change has impacted on the data series presented in this publication, particularly the March quarter 2007 movements for private and public sector estimates.

As a result, the private and public sector trend estimates have been suspended for Engineering and Construction Work Done for the March quarter 2007.

For more information please see ABS Information Paper: Treatment of Telstra in ABS Statistics (cat. no. 8102.0) released 26 February 2007.

A new chain volume reference year is typically updated annually every June quarter. From 2007 onwards the updating of the reference year will be completed in the September quarter each year. In September 2007 the new reference year will be 2005-06 for chain volume estimates. This will result in revisions to growth rates in quarters following 2005-06 but will preserve additivity in those quarters. For earlier periods re-referencing affects the levels of, but not the movements in, chain volume estimates.

DATA NOTES

As a survey of approved building jobs, outcomes from the Building Activity Survey are subject to the accuracy of Building Approvals information used in preparing the collection. Some errors have been identified in Building Approvals information for a number of regions in Australia over recent years. Adjustments were made to the affected Building Approvals series and revisions were incorporated into the March 2006 issue of Building Approvals, Australia (cat. no. 8731.0), released on 8 May 2006.

As a result of the changes in the Building Approvals series there will be corresponding revisions to other building series. These changes have been incorporated into this issue going back to the December Quarter 2000. The revisions have added approximately 1% to the building work done estimates for 2003-04 and 2004-05 and 0.5% to 2005-06. The revisions are more significant for some states.

INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 or Paul Pamment on Adelaide (08) 8237 7647.