CONSTRUCTION


BUILDING APPROVALS

The number of dwelling units approved in South Australia has fallen for the fifth consecutive month with 975 approvals recorded in October 2010. This represents a decrease of 2.6% over the estimate for September (1,000), and 2.4% lower than at the same time in the previous year (999). Nationally, the number of dwelling units approved has fallen for the eighth consecutive month. The estimate of 12,692 in October 2010 is 17.5% below the peak recorded earlier in the year (15,381 approvals in February 2010).

The trend estimate for the number of private sector houses approved in South Australia rose marginally to 685 in October 2010. Private sector house approvals as a proportion of total dwelling units has risen in the last four months from a low of 63.8% in June 2010 to 70.3% in October 2010.

In the year to October 2010, the total number of dwelling units approved in South Australia rose 11.4% over the previous year. Increases were recorded in five of the seven Statistical Divisions (SD) with the largest increase in the Murray Lands SD (up 76.3%). This follows a 19.6% decrease for this SD during the year ended October 2009.

DWELLING UNITS APPROVED, by Statistical Division, Original, South Australia
	Year ended October 2009		Year ended October 2010
	Dwelling units	Change over previous year	Dwelling units	Change over previous year
	no.	%	no.	%
Adelaide	8 096	-13.2	8 832	9.1
Outer Adelaide	1 485	-15.5	1 725	16.2
Yorke and Lower North	471	-24.3	532	13.0
Murray Lands	418	-19.6	737	76.3
South East	403	-26.6	379	-6.0
Eyre	233	-30.7	275	18.0
Northern	394	-25.0	331	-16.0
South Australia	11 500	-15.7	12 811	11.4
Source: Building Approvals, Australia - data available on request

Map of South Australia's Statistical Divisions (PDF 3.083MB)


CONSTRUCTION WORK DONE

In the June quarter 2010, the total value of building work done (in trend terms) in South Australia rose to $1,297.9m, an increase of 4.2% over the March quarter 2010.

Between the December quarters 2007 and 2009, the trend estimate for the value of engineering work done rose sharply ($627.5m to $1,268.0m). Since this time, the value of engineering work has fallen to $1,241.6m in the June quarter 2010. The $14.6m drop over the last quarter sees the value of engineering work done fall below the value of building work for the first time since the March quarter 2009.

The upsurge in engineering construction between the December quarters 2007 and 2009 was the focus of the feature article presented in the April 2010 issue of SA Stats.