• Summary
• Downloads
• Explanatory Notes
• Related Information
• Past Releases

MARCH KEY FIGURES

	Mar qtr 05	Dec qtr 04 to Mar qtr 05	Mar qtr 04 to Mar qtr 05
	no.	%	%
Trend Estimates
Total dwelling units commenced	37,653	-3.0	-14.2
New private sector houses	24,551	-3.6	-16.3
New private sector other residential building	11,379	-2.4	-13.6
Seasonally Adjusted Estimates
Total dwelling units commenced	38,038	-2.2	-14.1
New private sector houses	24,801	-3.4	-15.3
New private sector other residential building	11,712	3.1	-13.6

Dwelling units commenced - Total

Private dwellings commenced, Trend

MARCH KEY POINTS


TREND ESTIMATES

• The trend estimate for the total number of dwelling units commenced fell 3.0% in the March quarter 2005 and is now showing a fall over the last four quarters.
• New private sector house commencements fell 3.6% in the latest quarter, the fourth consecutive quarterly fall.
• New private other residential building commencements fell 2.4% in the March quarter 2005.

• In seasonally adjusted terms, the total number of dwelling units commenced fell 2.2%, to 38,038, in the March quarter 2005. This is the fourth consecutive quarterly fall.
• New private sector house commencements fell 3.4%, to 24,801.
• New private other residential building rose 3.1%, to 11,712, in the March quarter 2005. This is still 13.6% below the level reported in the March quarter 2004.

CHANGES IN THIS ISSUE

Time series spreadsheets will be released in Excel format for the first time with the June quarter 2005 issue of this publication on 14 September 2005. A concordance between the current Lotus 1,2,3 spreadsheets and the proposed Excel spreadsheets is available in Information Paper: Changes to Ausstats Tables for Dwelling Unit Commencements, Australia, Preliminary (cat. no. 8750.0.55.001).

SIGNIFICANT REVISIONS THIS ISSUE

The total number of dwelling units commenced in Australia during the December quarter 2004 has been revised downwards by 384 (-0.9%) from the estimate published in Building Activity, Australia, December quarter 2004 (cat. no. 8752.0) released on 20 April 2005.

INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 or Andrew Stidston on Adelaide (08) 8237 7668.


DWELLING UNIT COMMENCEMENTS,ORIGINAL ESTIMATES

	Mar qtr 05	Dec qtr 04 to Mar qtr 05	Mar qtr 04 to Mar qtr 05
	no.	%	%
New private sector houses	22,648	-14.8	-15.4
New private sector other residential building	10,383	-17.7	-13.5
Private sector conversion, etc.	374	-6.7	-16.7
Public sector dwellings	833	-34.2	16.8
Total dwelling units	34,238	-16.2	-14.2

• The total number of dwelling units commenced fell 16.2% in the March quarter 2005, to 34,238.
• New private sector house commencements fell 14.8%, to 22,648. Commencements fell in all states and territories. The largest falls were in New South Wales (-25.6%) and Victoria (-19.6%).
• New private sector other residential building fell 17.7%, to 10,383. Rises in Queensland, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory only partially offset falls in the remaining states and territories.
• The total number of public sector dwellings commenced fell 34.2%, to 833.

VICTORIA

QUEENSLAND

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

TASMANIA

NORTHERN TERRITORY

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY