Australia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced that the 2026 national census will, for the first time, include questions regarding gender and sexual orientation. This decision comes after the initial proposal was scrapped in August 2024. Chalmers indicated that the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) will begin drafting the new questions, emphasizing that the LGBTQIA+ community’s inclusion is a priority.
The 2021 Australian national census faced criticism for not incorporating gender and sexual orientation questions. In response, the ABS expressed regret and subsequently outlined new potential topics for the 2026 census, which initially included sexual and gender orientation. However, these proposals were overruled in August, leading to significant public backlash.
Public and official responses to the exclusion were swift and critical. Notably, Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Dr. Anna Cody, condemned the decision, while activists called for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to be banned from attending the country’s largest pride event. This public outcry prompted the government to reinstate the inclusion of gender and sexuality topics for the coming census.
This move aligns Australia with New Zealand, which included gender and sexual identity questions in its 2023 census to improve decision-making and services for the LGBTQIA+ community. It remains to be seen exactly how the questions will be formulated and who will be required to respond, but the inclusion signals a significant shift in data collection and policy-making, aimed at better representing Australia’s diverse population.
For further details, see the original article on JURIST.