Australia has introduced optional questions on sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time in its national census, a watershed move for demographic data collection. The questions are part of the 66-question 2026 Census to be held on Tuesday, August 11 and are accessible to Australians aged 16 and above.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has made both questions optional, due to the sensitive nature of the data. Some Australians (and advocacy organisations) have argued that information about sexuality and gender identity is crucial for understanding the population and public services planning; however, there are people who may not like to share that information.
The sexual orientation question provides respondents with a variety of options: straight, gay or lesbian, bisexual, “don’t know” and “prefer not to answer.” Respondents can also provide another term in a different place. The gender identity question asks if a person’s current gender identity differs from the gender recorded at birth. Respondents can answer as man, woman or nonbinary, or choose not to answer, or provide another name.
The inclusion of the questions comes after a political debate that started before the census. The centre-left Labor government in 2024 had decided not to introduce questions on sexual orientation and gender identity due to social cohesion concerns. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles had said in the summer that the government did not want to provoke division in the community.
But the move was met with strong criticism from LGBTQ+ groups and some Labor Party members. Within days, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said a question on sexual orientation would be included in the next census. And the government had previously promised in the 2022 election campaign that questions about sexuality and gender would be included.
The ABS eventually included the questions, but respondents could skip them. Consultations had shown a strong interest in collecting information on gender and sexual orientation, said Chief Statistician David Gruen. But he also conceded that some people do not want to share that information, and optional participation was important.
The new questions also bring Australia closer to several other countries that have begun collecting similar demographic information. Australia had lagged behind countries like Britain, New Zealand and Canada in demographer Liz Allen’s words. Britain had similar questions in the 2021 census, New Zealand did so in 2023, and Canada had similar questions in its most recent census.
Allen has also argued that Australia’s census could eventually collect more detailed information about gender and sex characteristics. In particular, she suggested asking questions about whether respondents are intersex, i.e., those people born with biological sex characteristics that do not fit typical definitions of male or female.
The Australian census is quite different from the one in the United States. The 2020 US Census did not specifically ask respondents about sexual orientation and only male and female responses for its sex question. But same-sex relationships could be recorded for the first time through the household relationship section.
The Australian Census of 2026 will also be dominated by online participation. ABS expects that about 85% of responses will be submitted online, compared to almost 80% in 2021. The last census took place during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and almost half of Australia’s population were under lockdown at the time.
Australians were encouraged to submit their census forms as soon as they got instructions if they already knew where they would be on census night. Paper forms are still available for those who need them and census field staff are helping homeless people and residents in remote communities.
Participation in the census is compulsory and failing to comply with an official direction to complete it can lead to a fine of up to 364 Australian dollars, equivalent to about $257. By Monday, August 10, the ABS said more than 3.6 million forms had been submitted and about 11 million forms were expected to be completed in total.
The introduction of optional gender identity and sexual orientation questions should give Australia more complete demographic information. Data is also key for governments, researchers and community organizations when it comes to understanding population needs and developing appropriate policies and services. At the same time, making the questions optional allows people to decide whether they disclose such personal information and to choose which questions to answer, without being forced by the requirement to disclose very personal information.
The 2026 Census is therefore a significant moment in the field of demographic data in Australia. Questions that have been added to the survey also reflect changing attitudes towards how national populations are measured; and the decision to ask questions that are optional indicates that gender and sexual orientation are still a conversation to be had.
