The number of dwelling units approved in Australia fell 3.6% in November to 14,998 following a 5.2% rise in October, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said.
"The fall in dwellings approved in November was across all residential building types,” ABS Head of Construction Statistics Daniel Rossi said in a media release.
“Despite the fall, approvals for total dwellings remain 3.2% higher than November 2023."
The ABS said the November figures included 9,028 private sector houses, which were down 1.7% from October 2024 but 3.8% higher than November 2023, and 5,285 other private sector dwellings, 10.8% lower than in October but 6.4% above November 2023.
The numbers are in seasonally-adjusted terms.
Approvals for private sector houses fell across most states between 4% for New South Wales and 1.3% for South Australia, with Queensland defying the trend by rising 4.3%.
Approvals for total dwellings were mixed across the states: Western Australia (18.1%) and Queensland (7.3%) rose while, Victoria (-12.9%), New South Wales (-9.9%), Tasmania (-4.2%), and South Australia (-1.6%) fell, all seasonally adjusted.