Australia’s love affair with suburban houses deepened in December, with planning approvals for new detached homes jumping almost 15 per cent to a record high as buyers rushed to take advantage of the federal government’s HomeBuilder stimulus payments.

Driven by demand for the $25,000 payment ahead of its reduction to $15,000 after December 31, applications for new detached houses rose at their fastest pace in almost 20 years – since April 2001 – to their highest-ever monthly total of 13,785, ABS figures on Wednesday showed.