According to seasonally adjusted data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the total number of dwellings approved rose 5.5 percent in May after a 1.9 percent rise in April.
Daniel Rossi, ABS head of construction statistics, said: “The rise in approvals in May was driven by private sector dwellings excluding houses which rose 16.3 per cent.”
“Private sector house approvals also rose by 2.1 per cent.”
Total dwelling approvals rose in all states, with Western Australia leading the rise, up 19.6 percent. This was followed by Victoria (8.9 percent), Queensland (6.3 percent), South Australia (4.1 percent), Tasmania (3.8 percent), and New South Wales (2.9 percent).
Meanwhile, approvals for private-sector houses increased in Western Australia (8.4 percent), New South Wales (5.9 percent), and Queensland (3.7 percent) but fell in Victoria (-3.4 percent) and South Australia (-1.9 percent).
The value of total building approved rose 0.6 per cent (to $13.0b). This followed a 0.7 per cent fall in April. The value of total residential building rose 2.3 per cent (to $7.6b). This was made up of a 4.4 per cent rise in new residential building and a 9.3 per cent fall in alterations and additions.
