Building approvals fell in April, against expectations of a rise, official data shows.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed the number of buildings approved fell a seasonally adjusted 5.6 per cent to 14,931 in the month.
That compares to 15,958 approvals in March, seasonally adjusted.
Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had expected the figures to show a 2 per cent lift in approvals during the month.
Over the 12 months to April, building approvals were up 1.1 per cent, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said.
Approvals for private sector houses fell 0.3 per cent in the month, and the 'other dwellings' category, which includes apartment blocks and townhouses, was down 14 per cent.
ANZ senior economist Justin Fabo said although building approvals data were typically volatile, the April figures were disappointing.
"Most of the fall was in apartments, but even approvals for stand-alone houses have softened," Mr Fabo said.
"We've still got a lot in the pipeline in terms of construction activity but the approvals numbers are saying that at some stage, the growth in that construction activity is likely to slow up unless approvals start to pick up again.
"The question is now how much it slows."