Australia included optional questions on gender identity and sexual orientation in its national census on Aug. 11 [1].
The addition provides the first official government data on LGBTQ+ Australians. This shift follows a reversal by the Labor government, which previously decided to drop the questions but later labeled that exclusion as divisive [3, 4].
Administered by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the census is conducted every five years [2, 5]. This year's survey consists of 66 questions [6]. The updated forms were distributed to Australians aged 16 and over [2].
To ensure broad participation, the government launched a multilingual awareness campaign. This outreach effort utilized 28 different languages to inform the public about the process and the new additions [7].
The decision to include these metrics marks a change in how the Labor government views the necessity of demographic data. Officials said that information regarding the sexual orientation and gender identity of the population was important for national planning and policy [3, 4].
Participation in these specific questions remains optional for all respondents. The data collected will be used to better understand the composition of the Australian population as the country conducts its periodic five-year count [2, 5].
“Australia included optional questions on gender identity and sexual orientation in its national census.”
The inclusion of LGBTQ+ metrics in the 2026 Census represents a transition toward more granular demographic tracking in Australia. By moving from an exclusion to an inclusion of these questions, the government is establishing a formal baseline of data that can be used to allocate resources and design public services specifically for gender and sexual minorities.
