Australia is set to include questions on sexual orientation and gender in its 2026 census for the first time, following over a week of controversy. This decision marks a reversal from an earlier choice in August to exclude LGBTIQ+ identity-related questions, as reported by Reuters news agency.
The questions will be optional and will only be posed to individuals aged 16 and above.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Sunday said that the upcoming census would feature new questions, though he did not specify their content. He claimed that the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) would develop them in the future. “We have listened to the LGBTIQ+ community to make sure that we can work with the ABS to deliver this really important change when it comes to the 2026 census,” Chalmers said. “We say to Australians from the LGBTIQ+ community: you matter, you’ve been heard, you will be counted.”
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles had previously said that the government chose to exclude these questions to avoid opening up divisive debates. Marles denied any political motivations behind the decision despite media reports suggesting that the government feared triggering a culture-war-style campaign ahead of an anticipated election within the next nine months.