Australian building approvals take another hit
It’s a mixed bag across the country as Queensland’s approvals are the hardest hit
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The number of dwellings approved across Australia has continued to fall, the latest data reveals.
Information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released today shows the total dwellings approved fell -8.1 percent in April, seasonally adjusted, following a decline of -1 percent in March. In the private housing market, seasonally adjusted estimates fell -3.8 percent in April to 7,939, following a -3.7 percent decline in March.
Across the states, Queensland has been hardest hit with total approvals dropping b y -22.8 percent, followed by Victoria (-18.6 percent) and WA (-5.8 percent).It’s better news in South Australia, where total approvals rose by 19.8 percent, NSW (12.5 percent) and Tasmania (3.5 percent).
Daniel Rossi, ABS head of construction statistics, said: “Total dwellings approved fell to the lowest level since April 2012. The overall decline was driven by a fall in approvals for private sector dwellings excluding houses, which fell 16.5 per cent, to the lowest level since January 2012.
“Private sector house approvals also continued to decline, falling 3.8 per cent in April, following a 3.7 per cent decrease in March.”
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Odd Culture Group brings a new kind of after-dark energy to the CBD, where daiquiris, disco and design collide beneath the city streets.
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Sydney’s nightlife has long flirted with reinvention, but its latest arrival suggests something more deliberate is taking shape beneath the surface.
Razz Room, the new underground bar and disco from Odd Culture Group, has opened in the CBD, marking the group’s first step into the city centre.
Tucked below street level on York Street, the venue blends cocktail culture with a shifting, late-night rhythm that moves from after-work drinks to full dancefloor immersion.
The space itself is designed to evolve over the course of an evening. An upper bar offers a more intimate setting, suited to early drinks and conversation, while a sunken dancefloor anchors the venue’s later hours, with a rotating program of DJs and live performances.
“Razz Room will really change shape throughout a single evening,” says Odd Culture Group CEO Rebecca Lines.
“Earlier, it’s geared towards post-work drinks with a happy hour, substantial food offering, and music at a level where you can still talk.”
As the night progresses, that tone shifts.
“As the evening progresses at Razz Room, you can expect the music to get a little louder and the focus will shift to live performance with recurring residencies and DJs that flow from disco to house, funk, and jazz,” Rebecca says.
The concept draws heavily on New York’s underground club scene before disco became mainstream, referencing venues such as The Mudd Club and Paradise Garage. But the intention is not nostalgia.
“The space told us what it wanted to be,” Lines explains. “Disco started as a counter culture… Razz Room is no nostalgia project, it’s a reimagining of the next era of the discotheque.”
Design, too, plays its part in shaping the experience. The upper level is warm and textural, with timber finishes and burnt-orange tones, while the sunken floor shifts into a more theatrical mood, combining Art Deco references with a raw, industrial edge.
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