Building approvals were lower in July, yet remain high, according to seasonally adjusted data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The latest figures show that the total number of dwellings approved fell 3.6 per cent in July to 17,687.
Approvals to build houses fell 4.2 per cent in July, following a 0.8 per cent rise in June.
ABS head of construction statistics Daniel Rossi said noted that while houses were down 4.2 per cent, this came off June which had the most approved since September 2021.
“In year-on-year terms, the result is 6 per cent higher than July 2025", Rossi said.
Similarly, approvals for multi-unit dwellings fell 0.4 per cent, but remain at elevated levels with over 7,000 dwellings approved in this series for the second month in a row. According to Rossi, lower apartment approvals drove the fall in the sector.
“Private sector dwellings excluding houses fell 0.4 per cent to 7,119 dwellings in July”, he said, adding that this result is 19.9 per cent higher than the July 2025 figure.
In original terms, apartment approvals fell 10.1 per cent to 4,344 dwellings, 6.8 per cent higher than the average from the past 12 months (4,069 dwellings).
The value of total residential building value fell 4.9 per cent (to $11.26 billion), comprising a 5.0 per cent fall in new work (to $9.97 billion) and a 3.9 per cent drop in alterations and additions (to $1.29 billion).