The total number of building permits issued in Australia was down a seasonally adjusted 5.8 percent on month in September, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Wednesday - coming in at 16,455.
On a yearly basis, approvals were down 13.0 percent after slipping 9.4 percent in August.
Approvals for private sector houses shed 7.8 percent on month and 10.4 percent on year at 9,628, while approvals for private sector dwellings excluding houses fell 1.8 percent on month and 16.8 percent on year to 6,622.
The seasonally adjusted estimate for the value of total building approved fell 6.9 percent in September, following a 19.5 percent increase in August.