Census Confirmed to Include Question on Gender Identity

Signage denoting a unisex bathroom can be seen at Melbourne Airport, Australia, on Oct. 31, 2023. Susan Mortimer/The Epoch Times

The Australian Census will now include questions on both gender identity and sexuality after the pressure from the LGBT community.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers confirmed the question would be part of the 2026 survey.

“We have listened to the LGBTIQ+ community to make sure that we can work with the ABS to deliver this really important change when it comes to the 2026 census,” he said on Sept. 8.

The move follows a week of pressure from progressive groups, political leaders, and media outlets with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese eventually announcing on Aug. 30 that the Census would test for “one question about sexuality, sexual preference.”

Government ministers had initially been reluctant to include such a question saying it was divisive.

The Census is a mandatory nationwide survey of the population every five years, with the next one due in 2026.

Treasurer Chalmers said the government was working closely with the ABS’s “professional, and sensitive people” on the question.

Assistant Treasurer Andrew Leigh said the questions would only be asked of people aged 16 and over and people would have the option not to answer.

“The ABS did not recommend a topic on variations of sex characteristics (intersex status) in the Census, and it will not be included,” he said in a statement.

Leigh said testing showed that high-quality data could not be collected due to the topic’s “technical complexity.”

“The government will continue to work with the intersex community about ways of gathering information in other ABS surveys,” he said.

Concern Government Trying to Appease the Greens

In reaction to the government’s backflip, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said she disagreed with the decision.

“Why put this in the Census, for what reason. The Census is there for the government to get the stats, where the money should be spent, what areas,” she said.

She said most Australians thought it was an “absolute joke” and raised concerns that the government was just trying to appease the left-wing Greens.

“How far are they going to take this? Are they really going to abide by what the figures state, or is it just appealing to these minority groups out there pushing their agenda or appeasing the Greens again,” she said on Sky News.

Equality Australia, however, described the inclusion of trans and gender-diverse people as “huge news” and welcomed the question of sexual orientation.

Moderate Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg told ABC Insiders he would like to see questions on both sexuality and gender identity.

“Look, it’s been my view for a long time that sexual identity ... sexual orientation and gender identity are reasonable questions to ask in a modern society,” Bragg said.

Labor Victorian Minister for Equality Harriet Shing also welcomed the government’s announcement.

“Collecting this data will support better service provision and improve outcomes for members of our communities whose existence has historically been under-recognised and underrepresented,” she claimed.

In contrast, Liberal Opposition leader Peter Dutton expressed concern about a “woke agenda.”

“If you’ve got the woke agenda, which I think is at odds with the vast majority of Australians, then the prime minister should argue that case, but I think we’re pretty happy with the settings that we’ve got in place at the moment,” he said.