How the PM’s captain’s call to stop a culture war blew up in his face

It was an unexpected message sent to Labor MPs last Sunday morning that set off the fastest climbdown in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s first term of government.

What started as a plan to head off a culture war ended up causing one, revealing a crisis of confidence inside the government and leaving its own LGBT staff feeling under attack.

An early Sunday morning message to Labor MPs about a gender and sexuality question in the 2026 census opened up a disastrous political week for the government.Credit: Monique Westermann

The text message on Sunday was senior Labor figures giving MPs a heads-up that new questions on sexual orientation and gender would not be included in the 2026 census, bringing to a head an issue that had been quietly discussed internally for weeks.

The MPs, most of whom hold inner-city seats under threat from the Greens, were left with little doubt that this was a decision from the top, though that did not stop other parts of the Labor Party talking of disciplining the minister who announced the decision, Andrew Leigh.

A source close to the prime minister confirmed Albanese stepped in on that Sunday because Leigh, who has responsibility for the ABS, had not made clear to more senior cabinet colleagues that the statistics bureau planned to ask a sweeping series of questions he feared were inappropriate.

The prime minister was uneasy over a question about intersex characteristics and gender identity. Conscious of the fact the census would not be held until 2026 and of the need to talk about the cost of living, Albanese put his foot down.

It was a late intervention. The ABS was advancing its testing of new census questions and had planned to brief journalists on Monday. By Sunday night, the bureau had cancelled the briefing.

Having made the decision, Albanese flew to Tonga. With the prime minister at the Pacific Island Forum for much of the week, his backbench was growing increasingly aggrieved. For the second time in a month, after frustration with timid gambling advertising restrictions boiled over into public view, they believed the government had ignored its progressive base. The government’s decision to shelve laws to protect LGBTQ students just weeks ago was also fresh in advocates’ minds.

Facing a communication vacuum, some advocates called for a census boycott. Some MPs, including Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Ged Kearney, wanted answers from the prime minister’s office.

Government sources told this masthead on Monday a key reason for the decision was to avoid giving voters the impression that Labor was occupied by non-core issues amid an inflation crisis.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.Credit: James Brickwood

Ministers Jim Chalmers and Richard Marles confirmed on Wednesday and Thursday that the government was worried about a “nasty” debate that might have targeted the LGBTQ community.

Leigh, the minister in charge of the census, had argued for the additions to the survey but ducked calls and texts from this masthead all week.

In the middle of the week, LGBT Labor staff were planning a large meeting and a letter to the prime minister to express their dismay about the stance, according to three staffers.

One senior Labor staffer, who like other sources in this story requested anonymity to speak freely, said younger staff in particular had become upset and emotional.

“After everything we have achieved for the LGBT community, what were they thinking?” the staffer said.

The left faction of the ACT Labor Party even talked about sending Leigh, a Canberra MP, to an internal disciplinary tribunal for his involvement in a decision that breached the party’s policy platform.

The party had formally promised the reform at the last election and its MPs chastised Scott Morrison for not including new questions in the 2021 census. The Coalition’s call had been based partly on the risk of confusing people filling out the survey, but if that was part of the statistics bureau’s advice to Labor, its ministers did not mention it.

As the week went on, ministers Clare O’Neil and Murray Watt echoed the same “division” message as Chalmers and Marles.

It wasn’t enough. MPs started to go public calling for a reversal on Thursday afternoon, led by Melbourne MP Josh Burns. Peter Khalil, Alicia Payne, Michelle Ananda-Rajah and Jerome Laxale came next. Kearney – as an assistant minister bound by stricter rules – added her voice on Thursday evening, dialling up the pressure.

By this time, Albanese was returning from Tonga into a political storm.

The prime minister’s radio appearances are usually flagged in advance. But on Friday morning, journalists were informed that he was already on ABC Radio Melbourne, announcing that a question on sexual orientation would be in the census after all.

Accused by Labor this week of being too divisive to lead the country, Peter Dutton and the opposition played no role in Labor’s implosion. Several Coalition MPs said publicly they had no issue with the planned questions, though Dutton disagreed. But a fear of Dutton obviously loomed large.

As the week unfolded, the opposition sat back and watched as the government tied itself in knots.

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