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The Australian Bureau of Statistics today released its monthly building approvals data for August 2025 for detached houses and multi-units covering all states and territories.
“The month of August saw a slight decline in the number of new detached house approvals across Australia, down by 2.9 per cent,” added Mr Devitt.
“Despite the monthly decline, house approvals in the last three months were still relatively consistent with a year earlier, down by just 0.9 per cent, comfortably above the 2023 trough in the cycle.
“Declining interest rates, strong population growth, tight labour markets and recovering household incomes helped improve confidence in an increasing number of markets over the last 18 months.
“Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia led the improving numbers across the country, while other jurisdictions were held back by higher land costs and relatively weaker population dynamics.
“Despite the improvement, the volume of home approvals hasn’t seen a recovery to levels consistent with the ongoing growth in demand.
“Lower interest rates alone will not be sufficient to produce 1.2 million new home builds over the Australian government’s target five-year period.
“Higher density housing, in particular, needs to do much more heavy lifting, with multi-unit approvals declining again by 10.6 per cent in August, back to the depressed levels ofthe last six years.
“If Australia is to meet its housing targets and improve housing affordability, policymakers need to reduce the costs of construction that they inflate with needless and destructive taxes, regulations, restrictions and costs,” concluded Mr Devitt.
The volume of detached house approvals in the month of August 2025 in seasonally adjusted terms increased in only Victoria (+5.8 per cent), while declines were seen in South Australia (-9.1 per cent), Western Australia (-6.8 per cent), New South Wales (-5.0 per cent) and Queensland (-1.0 per cent). In original terms, detached house approvals increased in Tasmania (+18.3 per cent), declining in the Australian Capital Territory (-15.5 per cent) and the Northern Territory (-2.4 per cent).
The HIA has been advised that due to an increase of plumbing audit inspection failures, from the 1st of September, the Office of the Technical Regulator (OTR) will be further policing non-compliance in the installation of sanitary plumbing and drainage pipework, namely the bedding of sanitary drainage pipes.
The Housing Industry Association (HIA) has welcomed the establishment of the Senate Economics References Committee Inquiry into social housing, describing it as an important opportunity to identify the reforms needed to deliver more housing of all forms at scale and address the bottlenecks holding back housing supply broadly.
“Sales of new homes declined for a third consecutive month in July, falling by 3.7 per cent as higher interest rates and policy uncertainty continued to weigh on consumer confidence,” stated HIA Senior Economist, Tom Devitt.
HIA is proudly supporting National Skills Week this year by highlighting the construction industry’s many and diverse career opportunities.