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The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has given an update on the inclusion of new questions about sexuality and gender in the next Census, after national backlash at their removal last year.
The Census is Australia’s national survey, filled out by everyone in the country every five years.
In 2026, the next Census will ask everyone 16 years and over questions about their sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time.
The ABS confirmed on Monday those questions, which will be optional, are the only new ones in the next Census.
There are also 10 other changes to existing questions. The Census question on sex is one that will change.
Next year, that question will specifically collect “sex recorded at birth,” to differentiate it from the new, separate question on gender.
The ABS said the final wording of the new questions has yet to be decided.
“We’ll use a large-scale test during the second half of 2025 to ensure the final questions achieve the best possible outcomes,” Census content director Georgia Chapman said.
Census questions included after government backflip
The federal government determines the topics for each Census, while the ABS determines the wording and layout.
Last year, the Albanese government copped national backlash after deciding to reject the new gender and sexuality categories.
The government’s explanations, including that the questions were scrapped to avoid a “divisive” debate and that the questions were too complex, caused further outrage.
A few weeks later the government backtracked. Andrew Leigh, the federal minister in charge of the Census, confirmed the government would proceed with the questions.
However, a separate question on variations of sex characteristics (intersex status) still won’t make it into the 2026 Census.
“We value every Australian, regardless of their faith, race, gender or LGBTIQ+ status,” Leigh said at the time.
“The government’s position follows further engagement with the community and additional discussions with the ABS.”
An estimated 4.5 per cent of Australians are LGBTQI+
In December, the ABS released data estimating that 4.5 per cent of Australians aged 16 years or older are LGBTIQ+.
The estimate produced a count of more than 900,000 Australians, including almost 10 per cent of young people aged 16 to 24.
Advocates have lobbied the government and ABS to include queer communities in the Census for many years. The data is needed to, among other things, improve health policy, programs and services.
“Our communities deserve to be counted and to feel seen,” Equality Australia’s Anna Brown said in December.
“It’s significant when advocating for our rights, dignity, and well-being that decision-makers know just how many of us there are and where we live.”
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