Australian census 2021: question sparks religious controversy

It’s a snapshot of Australia and this year’s survey is more contentious than ever. Here’s what you need to know about census night.

It’s a snapshot of who we are and how we are changing.

Australia’s 18th census night, August 10, is one of the largest statistical collections undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Here’s what you need to know about completing the mandatory form.

WHEN IS CENSUS NIGHT?

Census night takes place on Tuesday, August 10. The census is carried out every five years.

You can complete the census once you have received your instructions in the mail, as long as you state where you were on the night of August 10. You can complete the census online, via your mobile device or on paper.

The census is one of the largest statistical collections undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

WHAT IF MY FORM HASN’T ARRIVED?

Most people will receive an online code and temporary password in the mail that you can enter into the ABS website to complete your census.

If you have not received your instructions and want to complete the census online, you can get a census number by going to the ABS website.

It used to be that you were meant to complete the form as close to census night as possible, but there is some flexibility available now.

WHAT IS THE CENSUS?

Census data is used to inform important decisions about social and economic services for individuals, families and communities.

Information collected is used to determine the distribution of Commonwealth funding, the setting of electoral boundaries and GST distribution.

Census data is used to inform important decisions about transport, schools, health care, infrastructure, and business.

WHAT IF I CAN’T COMPLETE IT?

If your internet connection is bad or you’re otherwise unable to complete the form, you can call 1800 130 250 to request a paper form. Census staff will be in remote communities to help people complete the census during July and August. If you won’t be home on census night, it’s important that you visit the census website to report that the home will be vacant.

Data is used to inform decisions about services for families and communities.

HOW IS THE CENSUS CONDUCTED IN A COVID ENVIRONMENT?

Most people will complete their census online with no in-person contact from the ABS. Staff who are in the community will be following Covid-19 protocols.

WILL I GET FINED IF I DON’T COMPLETE IT?

People who do not complete the census can be fined up to $222 a day.

Those who fail to complete it will get a reminder either in the mail or in person from a member of ABS staff.

People who knowingly provide false information can also face heftier fines.

WHAT ARE THE NEW QUESTIONS IN THE CENSUS ?

There are two new questions in the 2021 census. The new questions are on long-term health conditions, such as arthritis and diabetes, and on defence force participation.

Australian will be asked about their health conditions.

WHAT ABOUT HACKERS?

Questions remain for many experts about whether the national survey will be able to meet online demand and withstand intrusions after the ABS website crashed on census night in 2016 and remained down for 48 hours following modest attacks against the platform.

Former national cyber security adviser and now CyberCX chief strategy officer Alastair MacGibbon, who wrote the report into the incident, said it was clear the last Census was not resilient enough or prepared to withstand even “the world’s smallest denial-of-service attacks”.

He said the potential for attacks this year was much greater.

Hands in sky

WHAT IS THE CONTROVERSY AROUND THE RELIGION QUESTION?

There is one question that is more contentious than the others, and it is an optional one about our religious beliefs.

In the form, respondents will reach the religious section which asks: “What is the person’s religion?”

There has been a big campaign on social media to persuade people who don’t regularly go to church to tick “no religion” instead of the faith they were brought up in and identify with.

Sky News host Chris Kenny says the campaign to encourage Australians to tick ‘no religion’ in the upcoming census is “preachy and patronising”.

“I don’t think anyone needs any lecturing from anyone else about how to fill out a questionnaire about their own lives,” Mr Kenny said.

“I think Australians will be able to figure out how to fill out the census forms all on their own”

NSW One Nation Leader Mark Latham said there was “a lot of misinformation” in the campaign for Australians to tick the ‘no religion’ box on the census form. “There’s no bias in the census question that’s loaded towards religion. The question is: ‘what is the person’s religion?’, well that’s up to the person to decide, you don’t have to go to church to have a religion,” Mr Latham told Sky News host Peta Credlin.

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According to Dr Ferdi Botha from Melbourne University, “There is a very real possibility this census will be the first time when the majority of Australians report that they have no religion. We know that in 2004 about a quarter of Australians reported having no religion. By 2018, this jumped to almost 40 per cent. Even if we don’t see that the majority of all Australians report no religion, we almost certainly will see this among younger Australians.”

The August 10 count will “likely be the first census where less than half of all Australians identify as Christian,” Dr Botha said.

“This was already the case for men a few years ago, but given the declining trends among women as well, we expect that the proportion of all persons with a Christian affiliation will drop substantially.”

WHY AM I BEING ASKED ABOUT MY MENTAL HEALTH?

Despite ABS privacy assurances, some Australians will likely do a double-take when they see the census form is asking them to disclose if they’ve ever been diagnosed with conditions such as asthma, Alzheimers, diabetes or depression.

Professor Patrick McGorry from Orygen predicted the mental illness option will elicit a massive response.

“We’ve had national mental health surveys in the past done by the ABS, but we haven’t had one for about 15 years,” Prof McGorry said. “ But this is actually finding out the full extent of mental ill health in the population, and I think it’s going to be quite staggering, the number.”

A big number will require a big policy response and big spending from governments, Prof McGorry said.

WHAT OTHER QUESTIONS ARE IN THIS YEAR’S CENSUS?

This year, all census forms will include an option for non-binary sex, but the framing of the question has been criticised by trans activists, as non-binary sex (identifying as neither male or female) is a completely different concept to being trans.

Charlie Burton from Equality Tasmania said the non-binary sex option was inappropriate for many sex and gender-diverse people.

“As a trans man myself, I will not be ticking that box,” he said.

HOW WILL THE CENSUS COMBAT CRIME?

Up-to-date Census data ensures the country’s trusted independent link between the community and police – Crime Stoppers Australia – can continue to develop and deliver crime solving and prevention activities and campaigns.

Crime Stoppers Australia Chair Diana Forrester said the organisation used 2016 census data to develop its multilingual Crime is Crime in Any Language campaign.

- with Vanessa Croll