YEARS
The government has scrapped the census change just a day after ministers explained that a question about sexuality would in fact be included in the 2026 survey.
Australia’s census will ask citizens about their sexuality for the first time. The government said a policy U-turn was aimed at calming anger from the LGBTQ community. Supporters have said questions about sexual identity would provide a more accurate snapshot of who Australians are and who they love. The government has scrapped the census change just a day after ministers explained that a question about sexuality would indeed be included in the 2026 survey. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made the announcement.
He said the Australian Bureau of Statistics has developed a new question about sexual orientation, which will now be tested before being included in the survey. “We think this is a common sense position,” Albanese told public broadcaster ABC. Completing the census is mandatory in Australia, and those who do not do so can also be fined. The Prime Minister said people will have the option to answer or not answer the question on sexual orientation.
Asked why the government had backed down, Albanese said no, this is the first time I’ve been asked about it. However, he made no mention of plans to include a question about gender identity, only saying there would be no major changes to the census. Equality Australia, a rights advocacy group, said it was now unclear how the census would affect trans and gender-diverse people, as well as people with innate variations of gender characteristics.
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