Australia approved 208,184 new homes in the 12 months to August 2026, 9.5% more than a year earlier and the most in any 12 months since April 2022. Houses led: 124,307 were approved, up 10.7%, and the trend in private house approvals, at 10,749 a month, was the highest since September 2021. Other dwellings, mainly apartments and townhouses, rose 7.7%. Queensland (18.6%) and Western Australia (14.5%) rose most among the larger states, and Victoria least (2.3%). In August alone approvals fell 6.1%, as unit approvals dropped after a strong July.
The node reading is its latest certified quarter; the approvals figures are the ABS August 2026 release.
The August release
The ABS Building Approvals release for August 2026, published on 30 September, reported 16,953 dwellings approved in the month in seasonally adjusted terms, 6.1% fewer than in July but 10.3% more than in August 2025. Private house approvals rose 3.7% to 10,885, while approvals for other private dwellings fell 21.2% to 5,674. Monthly figures for apartments and other dwellings move sharply from month to month, so this piece leads with 12-month totals and the ABS trend series, which smooth those swings.
An approval is permission to build, not a start: some approved homes are started months later and some not at all. How approvals convert to commencements is covered in From Approval to Start: The Conversion Gap.
A rising year, led by houses
Dwelling units approved in the previous 12 months, houses and other dwellings, 2012 to August 2026
APN calculation based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data: Building Approvals, Australia, August 2026, Table 6 (A418427K, A421262J). Thousands of dwelling units approved in the previous 12 months, all sectors, original.
The 12-month total reached 208,184, against 190,138 a year earlier. Houses made up 60% of approvals. House approvals over 12 months were the highest since June 2022, having reached a low in December 2023. Other dwellings rose to 83,877, though they remain well below their 2016 to 2018 levels.
Private dwelling units approved per month, trend, January 2019 to August 2026
APN chart based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data: Building Approvals, Australia, August 2026, Table 6 (A418372L, A421208V). Dwelling units approved per month, private sector, trend.
The trend in private house approvals has risen from 8,204 a month in May 2023 to 10,749 a month in August, the highest since September 2021. The trend for other private dwellings was 7,105 a month, a little below July.
State by state
| State or territory | Houses | Change | Other dwellings | Change | All dwellings | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory | — | — | — | — | 870 | 22.5% |
| Tasmania | — | — | — | — | 2,854 | 21.8% |
| Queensland | 27,732 | 11.8% | 20,050 | 29.3% | 47,782 | 18.6% |
| Western Australia | 21,496 | 15.1% | 5,000 | 12.1% | 26,496 | 14.5% |
| South Australia | 10,602 | 2.8% | 5,360 | 25.4% | 15,962 | 9.4% |
| Australian Capital Territory | — | — | — | — | 3,751 | 7.8% |
| New South Wales | 25,614 | 14.5% | 27,847 | 1.4% | 53,461 | 7.3% |
| Victoria | 34,836 | 6.8% | 22,172 | −4.1% | 57,008 | 2.3% |
| Australia | 124,307 | 10.7% | 83,877 | 7.7% | 208,184 | 9.5% |
APN calculation based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data: Building Approvals, Australia, August 2026, Tables 1 to 7. Dwelling units approved in the 12 months to August 2026, all sectors, original, and change on the 12 months to August 2025. Houses and other dwellings are not shown separately here for Tasmania and the territories.
Change in dwellings approved, 12 months to August 2026 on a year earlier
APN calculation based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data: Building Approvals, Australia, August 2026, Tables 1 to 7. Change in dwelling units approved, 12 months to August 2026 on the 12 months to August 2025, original.
Among the larger states, Queensland’s approvals rose 18.6%, with other dwellings up 29.3%, and Western Australia’s 14.5%, mostly houses. New South Wales rose 7.3% and South Australia 9.4%. Victoria, which still approved the most homes of any state (57,008), rose only 2.3%: its house approvals were up 6.8% but other dwellings fell 4.1%. Tasmania and the Northern Territory recorded the largest percentage rises, from small bases. How the states moved over the longer cycle since 2022 is covered in The Two-Speed Recovery: How Australia’s Approvals Cycle Split by State.
What this does not show
Approvals count permissions, not homes built; the number of homes started and completed is published separately, in the ABS Building Activity release. The 12-month totals are original figures and include public sector approvals; the trend and seasonally adjusted figures cover the series the ABS publishes in those forms. Houses and other dwellings are shown here for the five largest states only. The Building Approvals & Commencements (21510) reading is for the March quarter 2026, the latest quarter for which commencements are available.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (Reference period: August 2026) Building Approvals, Australia [https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/building-and-construction/building-approvals-australia/aug-2026], ABS Website, accessed 30 September 2026.
ABS material is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Calculations, standardisations and index readings are APN’s and are not attributable to the ABS.
Findings are presented on the basis of data and evidence alone.
