Albanese caves to pressure as gender ID to be included in next census
Questions on sexual orientation and gender identity will be included in Australia’s next census, with Anthony Albanese doing an about-face on the issue.
Questions on sexual orientation and gender identity will be included in Australia’s next census, with Anthony Albanese doing an about-face on the issue after encountering pressure from Labor MPs, unions, the Greens and equality advocates.
After the government initially planned to exclude the topics in the 2026 census, Jim Chalmers on Sunday said there would be questions “for the first time” on sexual orientation and gender.
“We have listened to the LGBTIQ+ community to make sure that we can work with the Australian Bureau of Statistics to deliver this really important change when it comes to the 2026 census,” the Treasurer said.
“We say to Australians from the LGBTIQ+ community: you matter, you’ve been heard, you will be counted.
“We said we would listen, we took that feedback seriously. We said that we would get it right. And I believe that we are and we will get this right.”
Assistant Minister for Treasury Andrew Leigh said the census would not include questions on intersex status as it was not recommended by the ABS.
“Although this topic was considered by the ABS, testing indicated high quality data could not be collected due to the technical complexity of the topic,” Mr Leigh said. “The government will continue to work with the intersex community about ways of gathering information in other ABS surveys.”
Greens LGBTIQA+ spokesman Stephen Bates said the government’s proposal “leaves the intersex community behind”.
“Regardless of this shift, Labor has shown us their true colours. Labor has shown us that if they think they can get away with abandoning promises to the LGBTIQA+ community, they will,” Mr Bates said.
Equality Australia chief executive Anna Brown said the census change would “ensure vital data about some of the most vulnerable populations in Australia is collected nationally for the first time”.
“It’s now time to let the ABS get on with doing its job and proceed with the planned testing so we can finally count every Australian in 2026, including people who are trans and gender diverse as well as gay and bisexual,” Ms Brown said.
With the government needing to pass legislation for the new census topic, Ms Brown urged the Coalition and the crossbench to back the measure.
She said there must be work done to include intersex people in the next census.
“It is vital that data is collected on people with variations in sex characteristics, and the work must continue in partnership with intersex organisations to ensure they are counted as accurately as possible,” she said.
Despite the ABS expressing “regret” in 2021 over any distress experienced by members of the LGBTIQ+ community because of an absence of questions including them in the last census, ABS chief statistician David Gruen in August said the bureau had cancelled testing of such new questions after Labor decided the survey would remain unchanged.
Advocates and members of the Labor Party expressed disappointment over the census move and called on the Prime Minister to include questions on gender identity and sexuality.
The Australian reported last week that the Coalition would pursue the government during the next parliamentary sitting over its mishandling of the issue.
“Labor’s confused and chaotic approach has created more questions than answers,” Liberal senator Dean Smith said.
“Any Labor intervention in the work of an independent statutory authority is unacceptable and the Coalition will continue to hold it to account in the Senate for its actions.”
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