Australia building permits fall in August 2026

Australia recorded 16,967 residential building permits in August 2026, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. That was well below the 19,273 permits recorded in July 2026. Housing Market Group calculates from Australian Bureau of Statistics figures that permits fell by 12.0% between July 2026 and August 2026.

The August drop followed a period of higher activity in the middle of the year. Australian Bureau of Statistics data show 17,633 permits in April 2026, easing to 17,201 in May 2026. The total then climbed to 19,090 in June 2026 and rose slightly again to 19,273 in July 2026. The August 2026 figure of 16,967 is lower than the June and July 2026 readings and also sits under the April and May 2026 levels. It is the lowest monthly total in the April to August 2026 run covered here.

The comparison with a year earlier points the other way. The Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded 15,377 residential building permits in August 2025. Against that figure, permits in August 2026 were higher, and Housing Market Group calculates from Australian Bureau of Statistics data an annual rise of 10.3% between August 2025 and August 2026. So although the latest month showed a marked fall from July 2026, permit volumes in August 2026 were above the level seen in August 2025.

Overall, the figures describe a monthly series that has moved up and down during 2026, with a sharp fall in August after the July high, alongside an annual comparison that remains positive. Monthly permit counts can swing noticeably from month to month, so the change on August 2025 gives an additional reference point next to the change on July 2026. The information available for this article does not include figures for individual states or territories, comparisons with other countries, or Housing Market Group platform data on search demand or listings for this period. This report therefore covers only the national totals published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the changes Housing Market Group has calculated from them.