The Northern Territory is enjoying a surge in housing approvals. Photo: Northern Territory Government.
Hundreds of apartments have been approved or are under construction in Darwin’s CBD, with the latest data showing that the NT is approving new-home applications at more than four times the national rate.
July marked the Territory’s greatest month of residential building approvals.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics found that while investor lending for residential building fell 8.6 per cent across the nation, it increased by 12.8 per cent in the NT in the June 2026 quarter.
In the year to July, home approvals increased by 49.2 per cent in the NT, compared with 11.7 per cent nationally. The NT’s 91 approvals represented the highest monthly rise since October 2016.
This almost matches the record number for the Territory.
“Our focus on rebuilding our economy has meant that there are currently nearly 230 apartments approved or under construction in the Darwin CBD, which will make a direct impact on supply and demand,” Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said.
“We are proud to be delivering more houses and apartments for home ownership and more properties for rent.”
Units currently approved include 427 student accommodation beds, 443 motel rooms, 108 serviced apartments and 228 apartments.
“We recognise that the Top End needs to offer a mix of accommodation types to meet demand, including apartments in the city close to where people work,” Ms Finocchiaro said.
“My CLP Government is pulling every lever we can to increase supply: new homes, new apartments and more private investment.”
Nearly 400 first-home buyer grants of $50,000 each have been either paid or are in the pipeline, as are an extra 233 FreshStart New Builds grants of $30,000.
This amounts to more than $25 million in home grants.
“The fundamentals are moving in the right direction: more Territorians building homes, developers looking again at apartments, and investors putting their money into the Territory housing market,” Ms Finocchiaro said.
