SYDNEY, March 30 (Reuters) - Sales of new homes in Australia inched higher in February with Western Australia and Victoria enjoying the strongest growth, an industry survey showed on Thursday.
The Housing Industry Association (HIA) said its survey of large-volume builders showed new home sales rose a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent in February, from the previous month.
Sales of houses dipped 0.1 percent, while apartment sales rose 1.0 percent.
Sales of detached houses rose 5.1 percent in Victoria and jumped 11.3 percent in Western Australia, though the latter was from very depressed levels.
Approvals to build new homes have slowed from record highs in recent months and HIA said it expected housing starts to fall by around 2 percent in the financial year to June.