The Australian Bureau of Statistics released its building permits data on Tuesday. Building permits in Australia climbed 3.7% in March, beating expectations for a 3.0% drop, after a 2.9% rise in February. February's figure was revised down from a 3.1% increase.

Building permits for private sector houses rose 2.6% in March, while building permits for private sector dwellings excluding houses jumped 6.7%.

The seasonally adjusted estimate of the value of total building approved was down 0.9% in March.

On a yearly basis, building permits fell 6.5% in March, after a 9.0% decrease in February.