Key Points
- The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) may include questions on gender and sexual identity in the 2026 Census
- It has flagged multiple changes to the next Census including removing some other questions.
- Advocates say specific questions on gender and sexual identity are important to include.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) says it is considering including questions on gender and sexual identity in the 2026 Census.
The ABS doesn't have data on how many LGBTIQ+ people there are in Australia, as specific questions about these identities have not yet been asked.
This data is important in not only giving meaningful recognition to these identities but also informing government responses and policies regarding these people, in areas such as health.
Equality Australia, which works to protect the rights of LGBTIQ+ people, welcomed the news.
“The next Census should reflect the diversity of the Australian community and finally count everyone properly,” said Equality Australia’s legal director Ghassan Kassisieh.
“Thousands of LGBTIQ+ people and rainbow families were rendered invisible in 2021 because the Census failed to ask appropriate questions about who we are and how we live.
“Governments need reliable data about our work, income and health to inform the delivery of vital services and make decisions about our future.”
Kassisieh said at the moment we don't know how many LGBTIQ+ people live in Australia, and “asking some simple questions ensures everyone is counted in the snapshot of the nation.”
Gender and sexual orientation questions were both considered for inclusion in the 2021 Census, but its architects admitted the question it did ask relating to people identifying as non-binary in 2021 failed to capture meaningful data and vowed to do better at the next poll.
While the most recent Census was the first in Australia that allowed respondents to select something other than male or female as their sex by providing ‘non-binary’ as a third option, there were no questions about how people identify.
It led to many people from the community criticising the approach, and the ABS acknowledging in September 2022, “Responses show the concept of non-binary sex was not consistently understood and was perceived in different ways by different people.”
The ABS said on Thursday if a question were asked about sex recorded at birth in the 2026 census, "the combination of these two topics would provide an opportunity to produce counts for the transgender and gender diverse community.
"It may also enhance the quality and accuracy of data relating to a person’s sex."
Questions on variations of sex characteristics, which would indicate how many intersex people live in Australia, will also be considered.
Sexual identity questions were "tested extensively prior to the 2021 Census, including with respondents who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or use a different term".
But the testing identified "sensitivities, including privacy concerns about answering this question with other members of the household present," the ABS said.
"Feedback pointed to research that people who are transgender and gender diverse experience poorer physical and mental health outcomes, lower access to secure housing, and are at an increased risk of poverty, discrimination and violence."
The ABS said it received submissions saying that this data would contribute to policy and planning, resource allocation and program monitoring to improve the lives of this population.
Its next step will be to continue to engage with stakeholders and assess the feasibility of including questions on gender and sexual identities and variations in sex characteristics.
The ABS is also considering changing or adding Census questions about:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural identity
- Additional measures of disability
- Dwelling occupancy status
- Ethnic identity
- Household energy use
- Impact of natural disasters
- Journey to education (Mode of travel to education institution and name and address of education institution)
- Main reason for moving in last 12 months
- Shared care of children
It will also consider removing questions on the number of children ever born, the number of employees (employed by owner-managers), the number of motor vehicles and unpaid work – domestic activities.
