More units are being built across the state, but housing construction has dipped, with the overall figures producing a poor result according to Master Builders Queensland.
Master Builders Queensland CEO Paul Bidwell said the figures were concerning.
The March results from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show unit approvals rose 33.1 percent, but were only positive because of the poor results of the previous two months.
Detached house approvals fell by -7.4 percent.
Overall, the three-month trend from January to March confirms Queensland remains in the red at -12.6 percent.
North Queensland remained the standout performer across the regions, posting a massive 32.3 percent gain. Small gains were recorded in Wide Bay Burnett (4.6 percent) and Mackay & Whitsunday (3.8 percent).
The news wasn’t so good in other areas. Central Queensland recorded the largest plunge in overall approvals (-48.7 percent), followed by the Gold Coast (-23.9 percent), Downs & Western (-22.6 percent), Greater Brisbane (-12.2 percent), and Far North Queensland (-7.5 percent), while the Sunshine Coast experienced a minor drop (-1.4 percent) over the quarter.
Mr Bidwell said in the 12 months to March, there were 36,985 new homes approved to be built – well below the government’s target of 50,000 new dwellings to be delivered in Queensland each year.
“It’s crucial the State Government remains focused on driving up productivity by tackling the red tape slowing construction,” he said.
He said the figures were “worrying,” especially off the back of the completions data for the year to December 2024 which have just been released by the ABS.
There were 31,793 new dwellings finished during the 12 months – a drop of 8.9 percent which translates as 10,612 units and 21,181 houses completed, down 1.8 percent and 12 percent respectively.
