For the first time in history, Australians are able to disclose their sexual orientation and whether they identify as a gender different from the one recorded at birth as part of the national census. The 66-question survey, conducted on Tuesday, August 11, marks a significant shift under the current center-left Labor Party government.
While the administration had previously removed these topics from consideration two years ago, labeling them as “divisive,” it ultimately reversed its position following intense pressure from LGBTQ+ advocates and internal criticism from Labor lawmakers.
The new questions are entirely optional for household members aged 16 and older. For sexual orientation, respondents may select from options including straight, gay or lesbian, bisexual, don’t know, or prefer not to answer. Additionally, a blank space is provided for individuals to write in a term of their own choosing.
Similarly, questions regarding a respondent's gender identity—if it differs from their birth registration—offer choices such as man, woman, nonbinary, or prefer not to answer, alongside an option for personal terms.
These optional additions join the question on religion, which has been a feature of the census since 1911.
The inclusion of these topics follows a promise made by Labor during the 2022 election campaign that brought the party to power after nine years out of government. Despite this, the government had initially decided in 2024 to maintain the 2021 census format to avoid social friction. “We do not want to open up divisive debates in the community now,” Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said in August 2024.
However, the government soon relented after almost a week of backlash. Two days after Marles spoke, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has marched in the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras twice since he took office in 2022, confirmed in a radio interview that a question about sexual orientation would be included.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Chief Statistician David Gruen noted that his bureau discovered a “substantial level of interest in asking questions on gender and sexual orientation” during public consultations ahead of the census. Liz Allen, an Australian National University demographer, observed that Australia had previously lagged behind peers like Britain, which asked similar questions in 2021, New Zealand in 2023, and Canada three months ago.
Allen noted that the previous government appeared unwilling to budge on the evidence, preventing the ABS from putting the questions forward. She further suggested that the census needs to go deeper by asking respondents if they are intersex—a term for people born with biological sex characteristics such as chromosomes, hormones, or genitals that do not fit typical definitions of male or female.
The census process remains a mandatory legal requirement, with failure to comply potentially resulting in a fine of up to 364 Australian dollars ($257) a day. The ABS is prioritizing digital submissions, expecting roughly 85% of the population to complete the form online, an increase from the 80% recorded during the 2021 census period, which was heavily impacted by pandemic lockdowns. By Tuesday morning, over 5 million forms had already been submitted, with officials anticipating a total of 11 million responses.
Field staff have been deployed to assist those in remote areas and the homeless population to ensure broad participation. People were asked to submit their forms as soon as they received instructions in the mail if they knew where they would be on census night.
