Building approvals lift

Building approvals lifted again in May, according to data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The seasonally adjusted figures show that the total number of homes approved rose 5.5 per cent in May, after a 1.9 per cent rise in April.

ABS head of construction statistics Daniel Rossi said the rise in approvals in May was driven by dwellings excluding houses, which rose 16.3 per cent.

"Private sector house approvals also rose by 2.1 per cent", he added.

Total dwelling approvals rose in all states, with Western Australia leading the rise, to be up 19.6 per cent. This was followed by Victoria (8.9 per cent), Queensland (6.3 per cent), South Australia (4.1 per cent), Tasmania (3.8 per cent) and New South Wales (2.9 per cent).

Approvals to build standalone houses increased in Western Australia (8.4 per cent), New South Wales (5.9 per cent) and Queensland (3.7 per cent) but fell in Victoria (down by 3.4 per cent) and South Australia (1.9 per cent).

The value of total residential building rose 2.3 per cent (to $7.6b). This was made up of a 4.4 per cent rise in new residential building and a 9.3 per cent fall in alterations and additions.