- Number of new home approvals in WA increased by 13.2 per cent to 24,544 dwellings over the year to January - the highest number since December 2021
- Cook Government investing $6.3 billion in a range of initiatives to boost supply and improve housing affordability
- Strong activity in January 2026 in seasonally adjusted terms points to continued growth in housing delivery
- Multi-residential approvals including apartments and townhouses at highest annual level in more than seven years, growing by 40 per cent over the past year
- Cook Government commitment to ensuring every Western Australian has a home
Building approvals in Western Australia rose by nearly 13.2 per cent to 24,544 dwellings over the year to January, reaching the highest level in four years.
New Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data released today shows building approvals in WA continue to outpace national growth at 9.2 per cent over the last year.
It follows an acceleration in dwelling commencements with nearly 6,000 in the September quarter.
The strong results reflect the Cook Government's commitment to boosting housing supply to ensure every Western Australian has a secure home.
Building approvals in January 2026 were particularly strong, jumping 13.7 per cent to 2,410 dwellings in seasonally adjusted terms, with the number of approvals expected to continue to strengthen in annual terms.
The number of multi-residential dwellings, including apartments, townhouses and units, also climbed to 4,830 dwellings in the twelve months to January, the highest annual number since August 2018.
Multi-residential dwelling approvals jumped by 40 per cent over the past year, supported by Cook Government initiatives such as the Infrastructure Development Fund.
The strong building approval numbers demonstrate the Cook Government's record $6.3 billion investment in initiatives to boost housing supply are delivering results.
This includes investing in more social and affordable housing, growing the construction workforce through fee-free TAFE, incentives to enable the delivery of more multi-residential dwellings and support for first homebuyers.
As stated by Treasurer Rita Saffioti:
"We're investing record amounts to accelerate housing supply and improve affordability across the State to ensure every Western Australian has a place to call home.
"With building approvals at the highest levels in more than four years it means thousands of new homes will soon be delivered for our growing population.
"Our government is doing everything it can to drive this momentum, including growing our construction workforce, supporting first homebuyers, unlocking land and working with industry to reduce barriers to investment in new housing projects."
As stated by Housing and Works Minister John Carey:
"We are focused on accelerating housing supply and supporting medium and high-density product to get off the ground.
"These latest figures demonstrate Western Australia continues to outpace national growth and it is especially pleasing to see approvals for multi-residential developments climb to the highest rate since 2018.
"Our State has seen extraordinary growth in housing approvals and completions since COVID, and as a government we never draw a line in the sand.
"We will continue to rollout our record investment in social housing, find new ways to simplify the planning system and unlock more land for new housing development."
