Australian Building Approvals Monitor | September 2026

Australian dwelling approvals returned to growth in September, increasing 5.1% month-on-month to 17,948 dwellings. The improvement was uneven across the states, with New South Wales recording a 37.3% increase and Queensland rising 28.0%. In contrast, Victoria declined -28.9%, followed by Tasmania at -25.7%, Western Australia at -8.7% and South Australia at -3.2%.

Total dwelling approvals increased by 5.1% to 17,948 (from 16,953, August 2026) dwellings in September. Private sector house approvals declined -5.3% to 10,432 (from 10,885, August 2026) dwellings, while private sector dwellings excluding houses increased 16.6% to 6,579 (from 5,674, August 2026) dwellings.

Value of Approvals in September 2026 Snapshot

• The value of total residential building approvals declined 2.8% to $11.06bn from $11.30bn.

• The value of non-residential building approvals increased 45.9% to $7.96bn from $5.53b.

• The value of total building approvals increased 13.0% to $19.02bn from $16.82bn, following a 21.2% decline in August.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Building Approvals, Australia, September 2026.