Remote Qld communities in dark about population after Census fail

Remote North Queensland communities have no idea about their latest populations amid concerns dozens of residents were not counted in the latest Census because of computer glitches and documents that never arrived.

Remote North Queensland communities have no idea about their latest populations amid concerns dozens of residents were not counted in the new Census because of computer connectivity issues, while others never received crucial documents, local mayors have claimed.

Mayor of the Etheridge Shire, north of Hughenden, Barry Hughes said there had been issues delivering and collecting official documents during the Census conducted late last year that left a number of his constituents uncounted, and that others weren't able to complete the survey because they could not access it online due to problems with internet connectivity.

He said that as a consequence, there was no way to know what the actual population of Etheridge Shire was.

“The information reflected in the census couldn’t possibly be correct because a lot of people didn’t receive their documents,” Cr Hughes said.

Etheridge Shire Mayor Barry Hughes doubts the accuracy of the Census in relation to his district.

Data from the 2021 Census published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that the Etheridge Shire recorded a population of 799 people in 2016 and 714 people in 2021.

Cr Hughes was unable to confirm exactly how many people had not been included, but he was sceptical there had been a population drop.

“That 85-person decrease would easily be covered by the people that I’ve heard about who weren’t surveyed,” he said.

Mount Isa Mayor Danielle Slade said the problem went well beyond technical difficulties.

“There is a real issue with overcrowding in housing in Mount Isa, and I think some people underreported how many people are living in their house because of a fear that if they’re honest, the government might come in and take children or split them up into different homes,” she said.

“If you look at the data, in 2013 our population was around 22,500 people and that went down to 18,700 in 2021, so you would think that with nearly 4000 less people there would be more empty homes but they’re all still full and housing is really hard to find.

“There has certainly been a population decrease, but I don’t think it was anywhere near that much.”

A number of workers at Werrington Station in the Etheridge Shire were not included in the census after official documents were not delivered. Supplied.

Among those not reflected in Census data were at least six staff members at Werrington Station in Etheridge Shire who say they never received documents to participate.

“None of us remember seeing anything telling us that we could do it online,” Werrington’s Russell Lethbridge said.

“We just kept waiting for the forms to arrive like they always did and then we realised the census had already happened – we didn’t know that you could do it online, so none of us were counted.”

Mr Lethbridge said that a number of properties in the area were in the same boat, while Cr Slade and Cr Hughes both agreed that without accurate Census data, state and federal government funding would never address the needs of their communities properly.

“We have no idea what the real population is now, or if the population has actually got smaller or bigger, which is a big problem because you’ve got parliamentarians and bureaucrats in Brisbane making decisions about our region and their data isn’t correct,” Cr Hughes said.

He said the systems used to record Census data, which includes both online and paper collection options, needed to be examined and overhauled to ensure that no one is missed again.

“What we need is greater scrutiny of the methodology and practices used to collect that data,” Cr Hughes said.

In a statement, the Bureau of Statistics said that they have “extensive practices and policies in place to make sure households in remote areas are counted in the Census of Population and Housing,” but acknowledged that “the ABS did face recruitment challenges in some areas as well as impacts from COVID-19, as the pandemic and other issues made some of these strategies more difficult to enact”.

“We have statistical methods that adjust for this to ensure high quality Census counts overall.”

The next census will be conducted in 2026.