The 2026 Census will include questions covering sexual identity and gender for the first time in Australian history.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has announced the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) will ask Australian citizens aged 16 and over about the topic of sexuality.
It comes after LGBTIQ+ advocates called on the government to include questions about sexuality in the 2026 Census, after Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles last month said it was not on the agenda.
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“We have listened to the community. We worked very closely with the Australian Bureau of Statistics. LGBTIQ+ Australians matter. They have been heard and they will count in the 2026 census,” Chalmers told media on Sunday.
The questions will only be asked of Australians aged 16 and over, and the ABS has told the government that people will have the option not to answer.
“Although this topic was considered by the ABS, testing indicated high-quality data could not be collected due to the technical complexity of the topic,” Treasury Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh said in a statement.
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“The government will continue to work with the intersex community about ways of gathering information in other ABS surveys.”
Leigh said The ABS did not recommend a topic on variations of sex characteristics (intersex status) in the Census, and it will not be included.
Marles said Labor’s initial decision to not add the new topic was “because we do not want to open up divisive debates in the community now”.
More to come.
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