Residential building approvals rise in WA

The number of dwellings approved in Western Australia have bucked the national trend and risen by 3.8 per cent in trend terms to reach its highest point since July, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ latest data.

In March, 1408 dwellings were approved in Western Australia, compared to 1356 in the month prior.

It is the first time approvals in the state have gone beyond 1400 since July last year.

The total number of approvals excluding houses rose by 12.8 per cent, while approvals for houses rose 0.8 per cent.

Nationally in March, the number of dwellings approved in Australia fell by 0.6 per cent in trend terms.

Among the states, total dwelling approvals fell most sharply in Victoria (3.5 per cent) and Queensland (1.4 per cent) in trend terms.

New South Wales and South Australia recorded slight increases of 0.8 per cent and 0.4 per cent, respectively.

ABS director of construction statistics Justin Lokhorst said the overall decrease was driven by private sector houses, which declined 1.4 per cent in trend terms.

"However, private dwellings excluding houses rose by 0.8 per cent," he said.

The ABS data comes a day after a JLL report revealed apartment approvals in inner Perth for the 12 months to February fell by 68 per cent compared to the prior corresponding period.