South Australia has recorded its highest annual home approval figures in more than four decades, with new data showing housing approvals continued to rise during the year to June 2026.
Australian Bureau of Statistics building approvals data shows 15,211 dwellings were approved in South Australia over the 12 months to June, up 4.4 per cent from the 14,563 approvals recorded in the previous year.
The result surpasses the previous high of 15,176 approvals in the year to May 2026 and represents the strongest annual approval figures since 1985.
A total of 1,310 homes were approved in June alone, which was 17 per cent above the state’s four-year monthly average of 1,118 approvals.
The latest figures follow a strong result in May, which was one of the largest monthly approval totals outside the temporary surge associated with the COVID-era HomeBuilder program.
The state government said the increase in approvals reflects a growing pipeline of housing activity, alongside record levels of homes under construction and completed.
ABS building activity data released earlier this month showed 14,130 homes were completed in South Australia in the year to March 2026, the highest annual completion figure on record for the state.
The Malinauskas Government has set a target of 13,500 home completions each year as part of its broader housing strategy.
The rise in approvals comes amid housing supply pressures across Australia, with state governments introducing planning reforms and infrastructure measures aimed at increasing the number of new homes entering the market.
South Australian Treasurer Kyam Maher said approvals exceeding 15,000 homes in a single year had not been seen since the mid-1980s.
He said the second consecutive month above that level suggested a sustained pipeline of housing activity rather than a one-off result.
Housing and Urban Development Minister Nick Champion said planning and land division reforms had helped reduce approval timeframes for housing projects.
He said the figures reflected a longer-term upward trend in housing approvals across the state.
Economists generally view building approvals as an indicator of future residential construction activity, although approval numbers do not always translate directly into completed homes. Construction costs, labour availability, financing conditions and infrastructure delivery can all affect how quickly approved projects proceed.
The latest data suggests South Australia’s housing pipeline has strengthened over the past year, with approvals and completions both running at historically elevated levels.
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