Why the Census no longer makes sense

The Census as a document is out of date by the time it is published — and it is debatable as to what outcomes it actually achieves.

The 2021 Census will be delivered with the usual splash on Tuesday at a time when the need for consistency in data is crucial but not sexy enough to dominate national debate.

It follows the 2016 Census when Australian government servers crashed, meaning the night to capture key data was lost and the subsequent results were reported with a proverbial asterisk.

Reporting will again focus on how many people identify as Jedi Knights from the Star Wars trilogy as a religion and new gender types as opposed to providing an insight into the nation’s near-term challenges.

Put simply, the information to frame policymaking in the next five years requires more current and real-time data.

The Census as a document is out of date by the time it is published and despite its stated purpose to help frame government policy, it is debatable as to what outcomes it actually achieves.

Did, for example, the Census shine any new light on this country’s ageing population or, more importantly, give any great insight into the fact the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) would become the budget challenge it is today?

Knowing the makeup of families is captured by a myriad of agencies across federal and state governments but sadly the only consistency we have within our federation is inconsistency in the way data is captured.

Cost of living, which has become a major issue facing Australians across all society, has become more telling following an era of cheap money that has created a housing crisis meaning the scores of community profiles on government websites are effectively null and void.

Again, much of this data is available through existing agencies already capturing these statistics.

If anything, the federal government – despite consecutive decades of cutting funding to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (by both Labor and Liberal governments) – would be well advised to look at having an ongoing Census to ensure governments can respond to today’s challenges.

Using data that is already 18 months old is not the answer.

Dan Petrie is a data journalist with News Corp Australia. Dan also goes by the name of Data Dan and is a contributor to News Corp Australia newspapers and Sky News. Email: [e-mail]

Originally published as Why the Census no longer makes sense