Pressure to add gender question in census

Anthony Albanese is being pressed to expand the next census to include questions on gender identity, not only sexuality, with Labor figures complaining of ‘a distraction the government doesn’t need’.

Anthony Albanese has backflipped on his government’s position that there would be no changes to the 2026 census. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

Anthony Albanese remains under fierce pressure to expand the next census to include questions on gender identity, not only sexuality, with senior Labor figures admonishing the handling of the issue and calling the saga “a distraction the government doesn’t need”.

The Prime Minister on Friday backflipped on his government’s position that there would be no changes to the 2026 census, despite the Australian Bureau of Statistics issuing a statement after the last national survey acknowledging the absence of questions on gender identity and sexual orientation left some Australians feeling “invisible and excluded”.

Labor’s decision not to include extra questions on sexuality and gender identity at the next census was met with strong opposition from advocates, unions and the party’s own MPs, including Josh Burns, Peter Khalil, Ged Kearney and others.

While senior Labor figures spent the week defending the government’s decision, which they said was made in order to avoid a divisive debate, Mr Albanese said on Friday a question on sexuality would now be tested.

“We’ve been talking with the Australian Bureau of Statistics and they are going to test for a new question, one on sexuality,” he said.

“There will (be a question) as long as the testing goes well.”

But the concession was met with frustration from within Labor ranks and from advocates, who said the backflip did “not go far enough”, urging Mr Albanese to also commit to a question on gender identity.

“When Anthony Albanese walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge during World Pride, it was with all of us, not some of us,” Just. Equal spokesman Rodney Croome said.

“Trans and gender diverse people, and people with innate variations of sex characteristics, have significantly worse health outcomes than other Australians. It is vital the census counts them so governments know what resources are required to improve their health and wellbeing.”

Mr Croome said Just. Equal could “not support a question about sexual orientation without additional questions that allow trans and intersex people to be seen and the challenges they face acknowledged”.

It follows Just. Equal earlier this week declaring Mr Albanese should not be invited to pride events, including the Sydney Mardi Gras, until he reverses LGBTIQA+ exclusion from the census and protects LGBTIQA+ people in faith-based schools from discrimination.

Senior Labor Party figures said that while there “was logic” around trying to avoid a divisive debate, “it is the execution that has gone wrong here”.

“Will it affect the election outcome? No. Is it just more of a distraction that probably the government doesn’t need? Yes,” a government source said.

“I assume late next Friday afternoon, a statement will come out (that there will be a gender identity question). Then that can be the end of it.”

Another Labor MP said Mr Albanese’s backflip had made some in the party “nervous” because it seemed as if “he said yes to the queer community and no to the trans community”.

“He’ll need to deal with that,” the MP said.

While Peter Dutton said earlier this week that the current census questions “stood us well as a country” the Opposition Leader said he would be “fine” with new questions if the government mounted an argument.

Coalition senator Matt Canavan said he “didn’t care” if a question on gender identity was added, as long as it was not “over the top and you could choose from say, 50 identities”.

Members of the union movement also called on the government to include a question on gender identity in the census, rather than pursue a “half-baked” response and backflip only on the question of sexuality.

Community and Public Sector Union ACT regional secretary Maddy Northam said it was “essential” the census provided a snapshot of “the entire LGBTIQ+ community”, which vital for shaping effective and equitable policy and services.