Approvals for new apartment developments may be down, but according to the latest Rider Levett Bucknall Crane Index, plenty of projects are under construction. The index counts the number of cranes installed or removed from building sites around Australia as a measure of ongoing construction activity.

The Q3 index says there are 493 cranes nationally in use on residential projects, with 134 added and 176 removed during the quarter. Adelaide has 10 cranes working on residential projects, up from nine at the start of the year, while Brisbane has 33 compared to 35 in the first quarter of the year. The report says the residential sector continues to account for the largest sector of construction in Brisbane, accounting for 50% of all cranes.

In Canberra, there are 17 cranes on residential projects, up from 14 at the start of the year while on the Gold Coast, there are 57 cranes on residential projects up from 53 at the start of the year. Melbourne has 80 cranes working on residential projects, down from 107 at the start of the year. Perth has 29 cranes, compared with 27 at the start of the year. Sydney has 232 cranes, down from 251 at the start of the year.