The total number of houses and apartments that started construction in the fourth quarter of 2010 fell 5.3% to a seasonally adjusted 37,897 from the third quarter.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics also reported that the number of private-sector houses started in the fourth quarter fell 8.0% from the previous quarter to 23,342. The trend estimate for the total number of housing starts, which further smoothes the seasonally adjusted numbers, fell 4.6% from the third quarter to 38,375.