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In a groundbreaking move, next year’s Australian census will introduce a wider array of options for individuals to express their sex, gender identity, and romantic preferences.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has unveiled its 2026 Census Topics and Data Release Plan, outlining the key areas that Australians will be queried about on August 11, 2026.
Feedback gathered during the planning phase highlighted the necessity for more comprehensive data, especially concerning Australia’s LGBTQ+ population.
“The 2026 Census will provide deeper insights by incorporating a new focus on gender and sexual orientation, along with updates to existing topics to address evolving data requirements,” stated Jenny Telford, the Census General Manager.
In the upcoming census, participants will be asked to record the sex assigned to them at birth. Additionally, individuals aged 16 and over will have the opportunity to share their gender identity, which the ABS describes as including “social and cultural identity, expression, and lived experience.”
There will be a “prefer not to say option” as well.
The “sex designated at birth” question will include an “enhanced” third option.
The previous census in 2021 asked people to identify themselves as either “male”, “female”, or “non binary”.
Respondents over 16 will also be asked about their sexual orientation, with answering options including an empty field for them to write their preferred term down if it is not included, a “don’t know” option, and a “prefer not to say” option.
The ABS said this data would “provide valuable data to complement existing Census information and support more inclusive policy development and service delivery for Australians”.
Other changes include allowing respondents to report up to four ancestries, and updating the wording of the “country of birth of parents” questions.
Women will not be asked how many children they have given birth to this time, as that will return to being a question asked only once a decade.
The ABS promises it does not release Census information in a way that identifies any individual.
The data will be released publicly in three batches beginning on June 2027.
“We will make Census results freely available across a range of products making it easier than ever for people to access and use,” Telford said.