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The first Census questions on sexual orientation and gender will be sent out to thousands of households as part of a practice version of the 2026 nationwide survey.
More than 60,000 homes have been chosen by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to take part in a trial run in August in order to make sure the real event runs without incident.
The test will include questions set to be in the 2026 Census, including the first set of questions in a national Census about sexual orientation and gender for people over 16.
Questions about sexuality were set to be scrapped from the questionnaire, but the federal government backtracked on the decision in 2024 following criticism from LGBTIQ+ groups.
Homes in Melbourne and Perth, as well as locations in regional Queensland, NSW and Western Australia, have been chosen for the voluntary test run.
Census general manager Jenny Telford said the trial run would be critical to ensuring the nationwide questionnaire would be successful.
“We are testing our collection processes and IT systems to ensure our processes work well and that the form captures the right information, in the right way,” she said.
“By taking part, you’re helping us to improve the next Census for everyone and ensure it produces high-quality statistics.”
Testing will also be carried out to allow people to carry out the Census through myGov.
The 2016 Census was beset by technical issues after the website hosting the questionnaire crashed on the night of the survey.
The Census test is to be carried out on 5 August.
