INSIGHT · DEVELOPMENT & REPORTING
248,733 dwellings under construction in June 2026.
Each state's pipeline sits differently.
At the end of the June quarter 2026 the ABS counted 248,733 dwellings under construction in Australia (original series), with 52,201 commenced and 47,168 completed during the quarter (seasonally adjusted), in Building Activity, Australia, released 7 October 2026. New South Wales held 78,581 under construction, Victoria 63,375 and Queensland 52,567 (original). Building Approvals, a separate ABS collection, counted 53,940 dwellings approved from April to June 2026 (original; the quarterly sum is our calculation).
Analysed 9 October 2026 · ABS Building Activity, Australia, June 2026, released 7 October 2026 (Tables 33, 34, 37, 38, 77 and 80) · the March 2026 edition, released 8 July 2026 (Table 77) · ABS Building Approvals, Australia, August 2026, released 30 September 2026 (Tables 07 and 09) · all pages read 9 October 2026.
Key takeaways
- Four counts, two collections: Approvals come from Building Approvals, an administrative collection from approving authorities published monthly. Commencements, completions and the stock under construction come from the quarterly Building Activity survey, whose sample is selected from approved jobs. The two are not one series read at different points.
- Each count has its own series types: Dwellings under construction and dwellings approved but not yet commenced are published as original series only. Commencements and completions are published as original, seasonally adjusted and trend. Approvals are monthly, so a quarterly approvals figure is a sum someone has to calculate.
- The largest stock is not the largest flow: New South Wales held the most dwellings under construction at the end of June 2026, 78,581 (original), while Victoria recorded the most commencements in the quarter (our ranking), 16,175 (original), against 11,700 in New South Wales.
- Stock divided by flow moves fast: Dwellings under construction divided by the quarter's completions, original series, was 5.2 for Australia in the June quarter 2026 and 6.3 in the March quarter (our calculation). For New South Wales it went from 8.9 to 5.6 in one quarter (our calculation).
- We would store the collection and series type with every count: A system-design recommendation: each pipeline figure in a board pack carries its collection, table, series ID, series type, reference period and release date, and any ratio or quarterly sum is flagged as derived.
01
Four counts,
and where each one comes from.
Building Approvals describes its source as an administrative data collection from local government or other approving authorities, and a building approval as the official permit that allows construction to begin. Building Activity is a survey; its release states that the survey sample is selected from approved building jobs notified to the ABS Building Approvals, Australia collection, and its scope is approved work greater than $10,000.
- Approved: Counted monthly by Building Approvals. Approved dwellings that have not started at the end of a quarter are counted separately by Building Activity, in Table 80, as approved but not yet commenced.
- Commenced: When the first physical building activity has been performed on site in the form of materials fixed in place and/or labour expended, including site preparation (Building Activity glossary).
- Under construction: A building is regarded as under construction at the end of a period if it has been commenced but has not been completed, and work on it has not been abandoned.
- Completed: When building activity has progressed to the stage where the building can fulfil its intended function. All dwellings in a job are counted as completed when the job is completed.
02
The June quarter 2026,
state by state, original series.
One row per state and territory, all on the original (unadjusted) basis, so the columns can be read side by side. Approvals are the sum of April, May and June 2026; the other four columns are quarterly figures published by Building Activity.
Approvals: Building Approvals, Australia, August 2026, Table 07 (states) and Table 09 (Australia), total dwelling units, original. Commenced and completed: Building Activity, Australia, June 2026, Tables 34, 33, 38 and 37, total sectors, all dwellings, original. Under construction: Table 77, original. Approved, not yet commenced: Table 80, original. Approvals and activity are different collections; the dwellings approved in a quarter are not the dwellings that commenced or completed in it.
| State or territory | Approved, Apr-Jun 2026 (sum is our calculation) | Commenced in quarter | Completed in quarter | Under construction at end of June | Approved, not yet commenced at end of June |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 13,976 | 11,700 | 14,060 | 78,581 | 14,435 |
| Victoria | 14,303 | 16,175 | 14,412 | 63,375 | 2,718 |
| Queensland | 12,987 | 11,473 | 9,523 | 52,567 | 4,814 |
| South Australia | 4,246 | 3,908 | 3,345 | 15,880 | 3,669 |
| Western Australia | 6,507 | 7,388 | 4,853 | 29,048 | 3,196 |
| Tasmania | 811 | 681 | 590 | 2,316 | 615 |
| Northern Territory | 288 | 280 | 254 | 704 | 107 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 822 | 562 | 617 | 6,262 | 688 |
| Australia | 53,940 | 52,166 | 47,653 | 248,733 | 30,242 |
03
The same quarter,
seasonally adjusted.
Commencements and completions are also published seasonally adjusted. The ABS states that some component series have been seasonally adjusted independently, that the sum of the adjusted state series may not add to the adjusted Australian total, and that figures should not be derived using the adjusted totals.
Building Activity, Australia, June 2026, Tables 34, 33, 38 and 37. The ABS advises caution in using the seasonally adjusted series for dwelling unit commencements in the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, because the small numbers and volatile nature of the data make the seasonal pattern very difficult to estimate. The ABS headline: total dwelling commencements rose 7.0% to 52,201 in seasonally adjusted terms.
| State or territory | Commenced, seasonally adjusted | Completed, seasonally adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 11,252 | 13,332 |
| Victoria | 16,239 | 14,191 |
| Queensland | 11,671 | 9,549 |
| South Australia | 3,913 | 3,112 |
| Western Australia | 7,240 | 4,814 |
| Tasmania | 648 | 606 |
| Northern Territory | 249 | 248 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 561 | 667 |
| Australia | 52,201 | 47,168 |
04
Stock against flow:
under construction relative to completions.
Dividing the dwellings under construction at the end of a quarter by the dwellings completed during it gives the number of quarters of completions, at that quarter's pace, that the stock represents. The ABS does not publish this ratio. We calculate it on the original series only, because the stock has no seasonally adjusted series and the ABS advises against deriving figures from adjusted totals.
| State or territory | June quarter 2026 (our calculation) | March quarter 2026, June 2026 edition values (our calculation) |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 5.6 | 8.9 |
| Victoria | 4.4 | 5.0 |
| Queensland | 5.5 | 6.3 |
| South Australia | 4.7 | 4.8 |
| Western Australia | 6.0 | 5.9 |
| Tasmania | 3.9 | 4.4 |
| Northern Territory | 2.8 | 4.3 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 10.1 | 6.2 |
| Australia | 5.2 | 6.3 |
- It is not a build time and not a forecast: The stock mixes houses with apartment jobs that take far longer, and jobs commenced in many different quarters. The ratio says nothing about when any of those dwellings will complete.
- One quarter is a noisy divisor: Original completions in New South Wales, as revised in the June 2026 edition, were 9,094 in the March quarter and 14,060 in the June quarter, which moved its ratio from 8.9 to 5.6 (our calculation). In the ACT, completions fell from 1,017 to 617 and the ratio rose from 6.2 to 10.1 (our calculation).
05
A stock that changes
after it is published.
The March 2026 edition of Building Activity, released 8 July 2026, put dwellings under construction in Australia at the end of the March quarter at 243,864 (original). The June 2026 edition, released 7 October 2026, gives the same quarter as 244,132. The release states that the number of residential dwellings commenced in the March 2026 quarter has been revised up by 433 dwellings or 1.0% (original).
The June quarter figures will move as well. The release states they are based on a response rate of approximately 85% of the value of building work done during the quarter, lower than the long term average, and that final data for the June 2026 quarter will be released on 13 January 2027.
- The operational consequence: A board pack that quotes "248,733 under construction" without the edition cannot be reconciled with next quarter's pack, which will show a different number for the same quarter. A capacity plan triggered off that figure inherits the same problem.
What we would put in a system
For each external pipeline figure a portfolio report or capacity plan uses, we would test for four fields.
Where agents help is narrow. A reporting agent can read the ABS tables, draft the pipeline figures for each state with their table, series ID, series type and release date, and flag which figures are derived; a person confirms them before they go into a report. No agent forecasts completions or decides a business's capacity plan.
| Field | Why it is load-bearing |
|---|---|
| Collection and table | Building Approvals and Building Activity count different things in different ways; the table number says which. |
| Series ID and series type | Original, seasonally adjusted and trend values for the same quarter differ, and the stock is only published original. |
| Reference period and release date | The March quarter stock was published as 243,864 in July and 244,132 in October 2026. Both are correct for their edition. |
| Derived or published | Quarterly approval sums and stock-to-flow ratios are calculations. Storing the method beside the figure lets a later reader re-run it. |
- Reporting: Where external series sit beside project data, each with its edition.
- Reporting agent: Drafts the pipeline table from ABS releases for a person to confirm.
- South Australia dwelling approvals: The monthly approvals series for one state, read the same way.
- Research data: How Cyberate records published data before relying on it.
Questions worth asking
of your own reporting
For a developer: which pipeline figure is in your last board pack, and which edition did it come from?
The ABS count of dwellings under construction in Australia at the end of the March quarter 2026 (original) has two published values: 243,864 in the July 2026 edition and 244,132 in the October 2026 edition. A pack that does not say which one it used cannot be reconciled with the next.
For a builder or trade contractor planning capacity: are you reading a stock or a flow?
Dwellings under construction is a stock at the end of a quarter; commencements and completions are flows during it. A crew plan built on approvals is built on the earliest stage, which comes from a different collection.
For a building-product manufacturer: does demand planning use commencements, the stock, or approvals?
Each answers a different question and carries a different series type. Commencements are published original, seasonally adjusted and trend; the stock under construction is original only.
For a group operating in several states: are any of your state comparisons derived from seasonally adjusted totals?
The ABS states that adjusted state series may not add to the adjusted Australian total and that figures should not be derived using adjusted totals. Computing state shares on the original series avoids that problem.
Questions people ask
about Australia's dwelling pipeline
How many dwellings are under construction in Australia?
The ABS counted 248,733 dwellings under construction in Australia at the end of the June quarter 2026, on the original series, in Building Activity, Australia, released 7 October 2026. The figure is subject to revision in the next edition, due 13 January 2027.
How many dwellings were commenced in Australia in the June quarter 2026?
Total dwelling commencements rose 7.0% to 52,201 in the June quarter 2026, seasonally adjusted, the ABS reported on 7 October 2026. On the original series the count was 52,166.
How many homes were completed in Australia in the June quarter 2026?
The ABS reports 47,168 dwellings completed in Australia in the June quarter 2026, seasonally adjusted, and 47,653 on the original series (Building Activity, Australia, June 2026, Table 37).
Which state has the most homes under construction?
New South Wales (our ranking of ABS Table 77), with 78,581 dwellings under construction at the end of June 2026, followed by Victoria with 63,375 and Queensland with 52,567 (ABS Building Activity, Table 77, original series, released 7 October 2026).
What is the difference between building approvals and dwelling commencements?
A building approval is the official permit that allows construction to begin, counted monthly by ABS Building Approvals from approving authorities. A commencement is counted quarterly by the Building Activity survey when physical work starts on site. They are separate collections, and the ABS also counts approved dwellings not yet commenced (30,242 at the end of June 2026, original).
What this analysis
does and does not show.
Evidence note
- What it shows
- For each state and territory and for Australia, the dwellings approved, commenced, completed, under construction and approved but not yet commenced for the June quarter 2026, each with its collection and series type, from ABS Building Activity, Australia, June 2026 (released 7 October 2026) and Building Approvals, Australia, August 2026 (released 30 September 2026); and a stock-to-flow ratio, labelled as our calculation. All pages read 9 October 2026.
- Key facts quoted
- Australia, June quarter 2026: 248,733 under construction (original); 52,201 commenced, up 7.0%, and 47,168 completed (seasonally adjusted); 52,166 commenced and 47,653 completed (original); 30,242 approved but not yet commenced (original). March quarter stock 243,864 in the July 2026 edition and 244,132 in the October 2026 edition. Response rate approximately 85%; final June quarter data due 13 January 2027.
- Approvals for the quarter are our sum of three monthly original figures; the ABS does not publish a quarterly approvals total in the tables we used.
- Approvals and activity are different collections. Dwellings approved in a quarter are not the dwellings commenced in it, and no conversion rate between the columns is implied.
- The stock-to-flow ratio is our calculation on original series. It is not a build time or a forecast of completions.
- All counts are total sectors and all types of building, including the small number of dwellings created outside new residential building. We did not split houses from other dwellings.
- June quarter 2026 figures are subject to revision; we quote them as published on 7 October 2026.
- This describes published statistics. It is not financial or investment advice and does not assess any market or project.
What to watch next
- 2 November 2026: Building Approvals, Australia, September 2026, as listed on the ABS release page, completing the September quarter of monthly approvals. The page also lists 9 November 2026, for the small-area data that follows the main release.
- 13 January 2027: Building Activity, Australia, September 2026. The ABS states that final data for the June 2026 quarter will be released in this edition.
- 7 April 2027: Building Activity, Australia, December 2026, as listed on the ABS release page.
Bring us the pipeline figure
in your last board pack.
Send us the external dwelling figures your last portfolio or capacity report relied on. We will show you which collection, table, series type and edition each came from, and which ones were derived.
General information about published ABS statistics. It is not financial or investment advice and makes no forecast of completions or activity. Figures are Australian, by state and territory, as read on 9 October 2026 from the sources listed; derived figures are labelled.
Sources
Suggested citation: ABS, Building Activity, Australia, June 2026 (released 7 October 2026) and Building Approvals, Australia, August 2026 (released 30 September 2026), as read 9 October 2026. Derived figures: quarterly approval sums (April + May + June 2026, original) and stock-to-flow ratios (under construction divided by completions, original), both our calculation.
- ABS - Building Activity, Australia, June 2026: Released 7 October 2026, 11:30am AEDT · read 9 October 2026 · national statistical office - quarterly release and Tables 33, 34, 37, 38, 77 and 80
- ABS - Building Activity, Australia, March 2026: Released 8 July 2026 · read 9 October 2026 · national statistical office - previous edition, Table 77
- ABS - Building Approvals, Australia, August 2026: Released 30 September 2026 · read 9 October 2026 · national statistical office - monthly release and Tables 07 and 09
- ABS - Building Activity, Australia methodology, June 2026: Released 7 October 2026 · read 9 October 2026 · national statistical office - glossary and seasonal adjustment notes