The number of dwelling units approved in Australia in June declined unexpectedly, the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed Tuesday.

Building approvals fell a seasonally adjusted 6.9 percent month-on-month in June compared with forecast of a 2 percent increase. The number of approvals declined 4.3 percent in May.

On an annual basis, building consents contracted 13 percent. The number of approvals totaled 12,778 during the month.

As many as 7,926 private sector houses were approved during the month. This was 1.2 percent less than a month earlier and represented the first monthly decline in six months. Year-on-year, number of private sector houses approved rose 9.9 percent.

Approvals for private sector dwellings, excluding houses, declined 12.6 percent month-on-month to 4,543. This was 37.4 percent lower than a year earlier.