Australia building permits rise in September 2026

Australia recorded 18,311 residential building permits in September 2026, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. That was higher than the 17,173 permits recorded in August 2026. Housing Market Group calculates the monthly increase from the bureau's figures at 6.6%, so September made up part of the ground lost in the previous month.

The latest figure falls within the range seen over recent months. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, permits stood at 17,241 in May 2026 before climbing to 19,104 in June 2026 and 19,291 in July 2026. The count then dropped back to 17,173 in August 2026. The September 2026 total of 18,311 is therefore above the May and August levels but still below the stronger readings of June and July. Monthly permit counts often move up and down between releases, and the pattern since May 2026 shows that kind of back-and-forth movement rather than a steady climb or decline.

Compared with a year earlier, approvals were slightly weaker. The Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded 18,630 residential building permits in September 2025, and HMG calculates that the September 2026 figure is 1.7% lower than that level. The annual gap is modest, which indicates that permit activity in September 2026 was broadly similar to the same month in 2025, even though it remained somewhat below that earlier reading.

Australia's annual change also looks relatively mild next to the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the United States recorded 115,000 residential building permits in September 2026. HMG calculates that this was 4.2% lower than in September 2025. The raw totals reflect the very different sizes of the Australian and American housing markets, so the percentage changes offer a fairer comparison. On that basis, the annual decline in Australia between September 2025 and September 2026, at 1.7%, was smaller than the 4.2% fall recorded in the United States over the same period.

Taken together, the figures show Australian residential building permits rebounding in September 2026 after a softer August 2026, while remaining a little below their level of September 2025. Permits are an early indicator of planned residential construction, and the latest data point to activity that held fairly close to year-earlier levels and compared favourably with the annual change recorded in the United States.