ABS data cuts Robinvale’s population by as many as 5400

A small northern Victorian town claims the government has massively undercounted its population, with ramifications for services like education, healthcare and policing.

A community living on the banks of the Murray River in north west Victoria believes official data has undercounted its population by more than 5400 people.

The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicates the population of Robinvale is 3359 people – a far cry from the population data collected by the local council.

Data gathered through an independent study funded by Swan Hill Rural Council shows the town’s population is somewhere between 7000 and 8800 people.

Robinvale, Victoria has been undercounted by as many as 5400 people. Picture: Simon Shiff

The study pulled in information from banks, water authority Lower Murray Water and supermarkets to point to a town far larger than the reporter 3359.

Council’s Director of Development and Planning, Heather Green, said the undercount was likely the result of the way census data was collected.

“I certainly don’t think it’s a deliberate thing, it’s just that the method of census collection doesn’t suit the people that live in Robinvale,” she said.

“There are a lot of seasonal workers in Robinvale, migrants, people where English isn’t their first language, and people that are afraid of authority.”

Ms Green said a proper census count would allow local, state and federal governments to allocate services more appropriately.

“We believe the population is two to three times higher than the census collection number,” she said.

“What that means for Robinvale in terms of services like education, medical services and police is that they aren‘t allocated to the town.”

The ABS said its census response rate was over 95 per cent.

It said that during the last census it put special processes in place for people living in remote communities.

The census was also translated into 29 different languages for multicultural communities.