SYDNEY, March 5 (People’s Daily Online/Yunxin Bao) The number of dwellings approved in Australia dropped by 3.2 per cent in trend terms in January, the Australian Bureau of Statistics released on March 4, 2019.

Over the past year, the total dwelling approvals series has declined steadily, explained Justin Lokhorst, Director of Construction Statistics at the ABS, "The series is now at its lowest level since May 2013."

The decrease in January was driven by the private sector dwellings excluding houses, which experienced a decline of 8.1 per cent in trend terms. At the same time, private sector houses slumped by 0.4 per cent.

According to the report, the total number of dwelling units approved in Australian Capital Territory fell 19.8 per cent in January, Victoria 4.5 per cent, Queensland 3.9 per cent, and New South Wales 2.3 per cent, while Western Australia and Tasmania recorded growth of 2.2 per cent and 1.4 per cent respectively.

The total value of building approvals has been falling for 14 months and dropped by 1.5 per cent in January, in trend terms. Compared to the value of residential building which has plummeted 2.7 per cent, the non-residential building has risen 0.4 per cent.