Australia Building Approvals, August 2026 — Dwellings Down 6.1% to 16,953; Houses Up 3.7%
ABS (30 Sept. 2026): 16,953 dwellings approved in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted), down 6.1% on July, up 10.3% on a year. Private houses +3.7%; private dwellings excluding houses -21.2%.
Key figures (August 2026, released 30 September 2026)
As of 7 October 2026 (KST); ABS Building Approvals, Australia, August 2026, released 30 September 2026 at 11:30am AEST. Primary source: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/building-and-construction/building-approvals-australia/aug-2026[1]
| Indicator (Australia, seasonally adjusted unless stated) | Previous (July 2026) | Current (August 2026) | Change vs previous (month) | Change vs year ago (Aug 2025) | Evidence type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total dwellings approved (number) | 18,056 (revised; first published 17,687) | 16,953 | down 6.1% | up 10.3% (from 15,368) | Issuer record (ABS) |
| Private sector houses (number) | 10,493 (revised; first published 10,199) | 10,885 | up 3.7% | up 18.4% (from 9,194) | Issuer record (ABS) |
| Private sector dwellings excluding houses (number) | 7,196 (revised; first published 7,119) | 5,674 | down 21.2% | down 2.1% (from 5,794) | Issuer record (ABS) |
| Total dwellings approved, trend (number) | 18,357 | 18,202 | down 0.8% | up 9.1% (from 16,691) | Issuer record (ABS) |
| Value of residential building ($ million) | 11,370.3 | 11,297.1 | down 0.6% | up 16.5% (from 9,694.1) | Issuer record (ABS); year-ago change is this page's calculation |
| Value of non-residential building ($ million) | 10,017.2 | 5,527.7 | down 44.8% | down 31.0% (from 8,016.5) | Issuer record (ABS); year-ago change is this page's calculation |
Comparison basis: the ABS compares each month with the previous month and with the same month a year earlier. July and August 2025 figures are as shown in the August release's time series; July was revised up from its first publication. Dwelling counts are whole numbers; values are in $ million to one decimal place and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Year-on-year changes in value are this page's calculations from the ABS seasonally adjusted series.[1][3]
In three lines 1. Australia approved 16,953 dwellings in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted), down 6.1% from July but 10.3% more than a year earlier. 2. Private sector houses rose 3.7% to 10,885, while private sector dwellings excluding houses fell 21.2% to 5,674. 3. The value of non-residential building approved fell 44.8% to $5.53 billion after a 15.7% July rise; residential value fell 0.6% to $11.30 billion.[1][2]
Comparison terms
Building approval: the official permit that allows construction to begin; the data come from local government and other approving authorities.[1]
Private sector dwellings excluding houses: semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses and apartments.[2]
Seasonally adjusted vs trend: headline figures are seasonally adjusted; trend estimates smooth the series. Seasonally adjusted state figures are not published for the NT and ACT, and private sector houses are not published for Tasmania.[1]
By state (August 2026)
| State (seasonally adjusted) | Total dwellings, Aug 2026 | Monthly change (%) | Private sector houses, Aug 2026 | Monthly change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 3,896 | -17.3 | 2,167 | -4.5 |
| Victoria | 5,163 | 8.9 | 3,044 | 0.5 |
| Queensland | 3,327 | -22.5 | 2,456 | 6.5 |
| South Australia | 1,701 | 24.0 | 1,036 | 27.7 |
| Western Australia | 2,395 | 3.2 | 1,895 | 8.6 |
| Tasmania | 264 | -1.5 | not published | not published |
| Australia | 16,953 | -6.1 | 10,885 | 3.7 |
Trend, total dwellings: ACT -12.2%, NT -6.4%, NSW -2.6%, Victoria -1.8%, WA -0.1%; South Australia +2.9%, Tasmania +2.5%, Queensland +1.0%.[1]
Houses, apartments and townhouses
In original terms, apartment approvals fell 24.9% to 3,268, 19.8% below the past twelve months' average (4,074). Townhouse approvals fell 20.7% to 2,546, 11.3% below their twelve-month average (2,869).[2]
ABS head of construction statistics Daniel Rossi: "Queensland saw 337 apartments approved this month compared with 1,330 in July." The ABS headline: "Over 10,000 private sector houses approved for eighth month in a row".[2]
Value of building approved
| Building type ($ million) | Seasonally adjusted, Aug 2026 | Monthly change (%) | Trend, Aug 2026 | Monthly change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New residential building | 10,018 | -0.5 | 10,130 | 0.8 |
| Alterations and additions to residential building | 1,279 | -2.1 | 1,305 | -1.2 |
| Total residential building | 11,297 | -0.6 | 11,435 | 0.6 |
| Non-residential building | 5,528 | -44.8 | 9,560 | 2.0 |
| Total building | 16,825 | -21.3 | 20,996 | 1.2 |
The ABS notes that July's non-residential value "had the second highest non-residential recorded value of all time" before the August fall.[2]
Reading in pairs
Seasonally adjusted vs trend. Total approvals fell 6.1% seasonally adjusted but only 0.8% in trend terms (18,202), and both are higher than a year earlier (+10.3% and +9.1%).[1]
Houses vs units. Private sector houses rose 3.7% to 10,885 while dwellings excluding houses fell 21.2% to 5,674; the fall in the total came from the second group.[1][2]
Number vs value. The number of dwellings fell 6.1% while residential value fell only 0.6%. Total building value fell 21.3% mainly because non-residential value fell 44.8%.[1]
First published vs revised. July total approvals were first published at 17,687 (a 3.6% fall) and now stand at 18,056 (a 1.9% fall); July private houses moved from 10,199 to 10,493. Separately, the ABS revisions table reports 292 dwellings revised for the 2026-27 financial year (a count of revised approvals by financial year, not the change in the July seasonally adjusted total).[1][3]
Next releases
Small area data for August were scheduled for an additional release on 7 October 2026. The ABS calendar lists Building Approvals, Australia, September 2026 for 2 November 2026.[1]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
ABS: total dwellings approved in Australia fell 6.1% to 16,953 in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted), after a 1.9% fall in July; they were 10.3% higher than a year earlier.[1][2] 1 source · authoritative record
Private sector house approvals rose 3.7% to 10,885 (18.4% higher than a year ago); private sector dwellings excluding houses fell 21.2% to 5,674 (2.1% lower than August 2025).[1][2] 1 source · authoritative record
Trend estimates: total dwellings 18,202 (down 0.8%, after a 0.5% July rise), private sector houses 10,749 (up 0.5%), dwellings excluding houses 7,105 (down 2.6%).[1] 1 source · authoritative record
The value of total building approved fell 21.3% to $16.82 billion; non-residential building fell 44.8% to $5.53 billion after a 15.7% July rise, and residential building fell 0.6% to $11.30 billion.[1][2] 1 source · authoritative record
In original terms, apartment approvals fell 24.9% to 3,268 and townhouse approvals fell 20.7% to 2,546; Queensland approved 337 apartments in August compared with 1,330 in July.[2] 1 source · authoritative record
Seasonally adjusted total dwellings fell in Queensland (-22.5%), New South Wales (-17.3%) and Tasmania (-1.5%) and rose in South Australia (24.0%), Victoria (8.9%) and Western Australia (3.2%).[1] 1 source · authoritative record
July 2026 total approvals, first published at 17,687, are 18,056 in the August release's series; private sector houses moved from 10,199 to 10,493 and dwellings excluding houses from 7,119 to 7,196. Separately, the ABS revisions table reports 292 dwellings revised for 2026-27 and 24 for 2025-26 (revisions cover July 2025 to July 2026, by financial year).[1][3] 1 source · authoritative record
A building approval is the official permit that allows construction to begin; the ABS lists Building Approvals, Australia, September 2026 for release on 2 November 2026.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Statements and readings
Not counted as facts — each item shows what kind of statement it isFrom here on: statements not counted as facts — single-source reports, the issuing body’s own statements, and this page’s own readings, each labeled.
The ABS attributes the fall in dwellings excluding houses to lower apartment approvals, led by Queensland, and the fall in total building value to non-residential approvals.[2] Stated by the issuing body itself (primary source) · not independently verified · ABS media release, 30 September 2026 (the ABS's attribution)
Compared with August 2025, the seasonally adjusted value of residential building approved was about 16.5% higher and non-residential about 31.0% lower.[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's calculation from the ABS seasonally adjusted value series
The July 2026 total was revised up by 369 dwellings (17,687 to 18,056) and July private sector houses by 294 (10,199 to 10,493).[1][3] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's calculation from the ABS releases
Timeline
What this page could not establish
These are questions this page tried to answer and could not. The gaps are left open rather than filled with a guess.- September 2026 building approvals
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 10/07/2026, 12:00
- Body characters
- 5,462
- Sources
- 3 sources adopted
- Model
- ChatGPT (checked sources on the web)
- Time
- 10/07/2026, 09:32
- Verdict
- Revision required
Show revision history (4)
| 10/08/2026, 09:00 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 10/07/2026 | First version. Read in full the ABS Building Approvals release for August 2026 (including state, value, revision and methodology sections), the ABS media release and the July 2026 release; quotations, table rows and figures machine-matched against the source text. | Updated |
| 10/07/2026 | Pre-publication review findings checked against the sources; confirmed ones applied: the summary names private sector houses and private sector dwellings excluding houses, and the 292-dwelling figure is described separately as the ABS revisions-table count for 2026-27, distinct from the revision to the July seasonally adjusted total. | Updated |
| 10/07/2026 | Independent pre-publication review (ChatGPT) against the sources; findings confirmed by the source text were applied. | Updated |
Frequently asked
How many dwellings were approved in Australia in August 2026?
16,953 (seasonally adjusted), down 6.1% from July and up 10.3% from August 2025.[1]
Did house approvals rise in August 2026?
Yes: private sector house approvals rose 3.7% to 10,885, 18.4% higher than a year ago. It was the eighth month in a row above 10,000.[1][2]
What drove the fall in dwelling approvals?
Private sector dwellings excluding houses fell 21.2% to 5,674. In original terms apartment approvals fell 24.9% to 3,268, with Queensland at 337 apartments against 1,330 in July.[1][2]
Which states had the biggest changes?
Queensland (-22.5%) and New South Wales (-17.3%) had the largest falls in total dwellings; South Australia (+24.0%) and Victoria (+8.9%) the largest rises (seasonally adjusted).[1]
What was the value of building approved?
$16.82 billion in total, down 21.3%; non-residential fell 44.8% to $5.53 billion and residential 0.6% to $11.30 billion.[1][2]
What does the trend estimate show?
18,202 dwellings in August 2026, down 0.8% after a 0.5% July rise, and 9.1% higher than a year earlier.[1]
Were the July figures revised?
Yes: July total approvals were revised from 17,687 to 18,056, and the July fall from 3.6% to 1.9%.[1][3]
When is the next building approvals release?
2 November 2026, for September 2026, according to the ABS release calendar on the August release page.[1]