Australia's Census Adds Optional Gender, Sexuality Questions for First Time
Australia's 2026 census includes optional questions on sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time, following a government reversal.
Australia's five-yearly national census, conducted on Tuesday, August 11, includes two new optional questions for the first time: one on sexual orientation and another on gender identity. The questions are available to all household members aged 16 and older.
The sexual orientation question offers options such as straight, gay or lesbian, bisexual, 'don't know,' 'prefer not to answer,' or a self-described term. The gender identity question asks if a person identifies with a gender different from the one recorded at birth, with options including man, woman, nonbinary, 'prefer not to answer,' or a write-in response.
These additions mark a shift for the center-left Labor government, which had initially dropped the proposals two years ago, calling them 'divisive.' In 2024, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the government wanted to avoid opening up divisive debates. However, after nearly a week of backlash from LGBTQ+ advocates and some Labor lawmakers, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the questions would be included.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Chief Statistician David Gruen said public consultations revealed substantial interest in these topics. He noted that while the data is important to some, others prefer not to share it, which is why the questions are optional.
Demographer Liz Allen of the Australian National University pointed out that Australia is catching up with other nations. Britain asked similar questions in 2021, New Zealand in 2023, and Canada earlier this year. Allen also suggested the census could go further by asking about intersex status.
The ABS expects about 85% of responses to be submitted online, up from nearly 80% in 2021. By Monday, over 3.6 million forms had already been submitted, with nearly 11 million expected in total. Field staff are assisting homeless individuals and those in remote areas, and failure to complete the census can result in fines of up to 364 Australian dollars per day.