QUEENSLAND continues to buck the national slowdown in home building approvals, emerging as one of the strongest-performing states in October despite a 6.4 per cent decline in approvals nationwide.
New ABS data released today shows that while Australia recorded falls in both detached houses and multi-unit approvals in October, Queensland remained in positive territory – up 2.4 per cent for the month in seasonally adjusted terms.
HIA Senior Economist Maurice Tapang said the national decline stemmed from “a 2.0 per cent decrease in detached approvals and a 12.1 per cent decline in multi-unit approvals”, with much of the downturn concentrated in New South Wales and Victoria.
But Queensland, alongside South Australia and Western Australia, continues to show resilience, particularly in detached housing.
“Detached housing approvals continued to rise over the last 12 months in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia,” Mr Tapang said.
“These mid-sized states were already gaining momentum before interest rate cuts, and households are increasingly turning to new home building as established home prices climb.”
Across the year to October, national approvals hit 192,100 – up 12.6 per cent on the previous year – reflecting a broader lift in home-building confidence.
Queensland has been a key contributor, supported by strong population growth, improving consumer sentiment and renewed interest in new builds.
Western Australia recorded the strongest month-to-month jump in October at 28.1 per cent, followed by South Australia at 11.2 per cent, with Queensland rounding out the top three growth states.
By contrast, New South Wales and Victoria fell sharply – down 20.6 and 24.7 per cent respectively – highlighting the contrast between the eastern capitals and Queensland’s accelerating housing pipeline.
Mr Tapang said the biggest challenge to lifting home construction volumes further – especially in high-demand states like Queensland – remains the cost and availability of shovel-ready land.
“To increase the supply of homes in Australia and improve housing affordability, governments need to remove the additional costs imposed on land development and new home building,” he said.
Queensland’s steady growth in approvals positions it as a critical driver of future housing.
