New housing continues its upward march

Recently released Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) housing data suggests an uptick in dwelling commencements.

The update points to an ongoing new home building recovery according to the Housing Industry Association (HIA).

"There was a 2.0 per cent decline in the September 2013 quarter, but over the twelve months to September there were 163,250 homes commenced," said HIA Chief Economist Dr Harley Dale.

"Looking past the spike in activity due to the GFC-related stimulus, that is the strongest level recorded since 2004.

"The overall recovery in new dwelling commencements since the trough in March 2012 is still being driven by New South Wales and Western Australia, although Queensland is showing clear signs of improvement.

"The recovery is also being driven primarily by other dwellings (multi units) rather than detached housing. Both segments are growing, but annual commencements for detached houses are 9 per cent below their 20 year average while commencements of multi-units are running 35 per cent above their 20 year average."


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