FX.co ★ Australia Q2 Housing Lending Hits 3-Quarter Low

The value of new owner-occupier loan commitments for dwellings in Australia fell 1.9% quarter-on-quarter to AUD 60.5 billion in Q2 2026, the lowest level in three quarters, following a downwardly revised 3.5% decline in Q1. Demand from first-home buyers inched up 0.2%, reversing a 4.8% fall in the previous quarter, while lending to non-first-home buyers dropped 3.1%, easing from a 3.9% decrease. On an annual basis, owner-occupier lending was up 0.6%.

By contrast, investment lending for housing slumped 10.2% to AUD 37.1 billion, the weakest reading in a year and a sharper fall than the 3.2% decline recorded in Q1. Nonetheless, despite the quarterly softness, the value of investment loans remained 8.1% higher compared with a year earlier.