A rise in overall dwelling approvals in December masked a drop in housing approvals in most states.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data showed the total number of dwellings approved rose 0.7 percent in December to 15,174, after a 3.4 percent fall in November.
ABS Head of Construction Statistics Daniel Rossi said the overall rise in December was driven by 15.2 percent growth in private dwellings, excluding houses.
Mr Rossi said approvals for private sector houses fell for the third straight month, down three percent.
“In original terms, a total of 171,394 dwellings were approved across the 2024 calendar year. This was 4.7 percent higher than the 163,722 dwellings approved in 2023.”
He said New South Wales was the only state to see growth in private sector house approvals in December, with a 2.9 percent rise.
“The three per cent drop in private sector house approvals across Australia to 8715 dwellings, follows a 1.7 percent fall in November, to be 1.8 percent lower than December 2023.
“In original terms, 108,167 private sector houses were approved, across the 2024 calendar year. This was a 7.3 percent rise from 2023 where 100,769 private sector houses were approved.”
Mr Rossi said the 15.2 percent rise in private sector dwellings excluding houses, followed a 10.4 percent fall in November.
“The rise in December was driven by large apartment approvals in New South Wales and Queensland, which pushed this category 42.7 percent higher than one year ago.
“In original terms, 59,312 private sector dwellings excluding houses were approved in the 2024 calendar year, compared with 60,116 in 2023, representing a 1.3 per cent fall.”
