Australia's latest census, held Tuesday, Aug. 11, for the first time allows citizens to voluntarily disclose their sexual orientation and gender identity—a milestone that comes after years of political hesitation and represents a significant shift in how the government collects data on its diverse population.
The 66-question census marks the first under a center-left Labor Party government since 2011, and it reflects a campaign promise the party made before winning power four years ago. Yet the road to inclusion wasn't straightforward. Just two years ago, in August 2024, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles explicitly rejected the idea, saying, "We do not want to open up divisive debates in the community now." Two days later, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reversed course in a radio interview, confirming the sexual orientation question would be included.
Who Gets to Answer
Both the gender identity and sexual orientation questions are optional, available only to household members aged 16 and older. For sexual orientation, respondents can choose from straight, gay or lesbian, bisexual, don't know, prefer not to answer, or write in a term of their choice. On gender identity, the options include man, woman, nonbinary, prefer not to answer, or another term the respondent provides.
ABS Chief Statistician David Gruen told the Australian Broadcasting Corp that the bureau discovered "a substantial level of interest in asking questions on gender and sexual orientation" during public consultations. "For a proportion of the population … collecting this information is very important," Gruen said. "But for other people, it's information that they simply don't want to share." The decision to make these questions optional reflects that tension—acknowledging demand from affected communities while respecting privacy concerns.
Australia Playing Catch-Up
Australia isn't the first democracy to take this step. Britain asked similar questions in 2021, New Zealand in 2023, and Canada did so just three months ago. Liz Allen, an Australian National University demographer, said Australia had lagged behind these like-minded countries. She also noted the questions don't go far enough, arguing they should ask whether respondents are intersex—people born with biological sex characteristics that don't fit typical definitions of male or female.
The government determines census topics while the Australian Bureau of Statistics decides question wording. This division of labor meant that even as political leadership wavered, the statistical agency was preparing for the possibility of these questions.
The Rollout
The ABS expects 85% of responses will be submitted online, up from almost 80% in 2021, when pandemic lockdowns kept much of the population at home. Paper forms are available on request, and field staff help homeless people and those in remote areas participate. By Tuesday morning, more than 5 million forms had already been submitted, with almost 11 million expected overall. Australians who fail to complete the census can face fines of up to 364 Australian dollars ($257) per day.
Why This Matters:
For LGBTQ+ Australians and those with non-binary identities, census data isn't merely statistical—it's official recognition. Accurate demographic information allows governments to plan services, identify health disparities, and measure discrimination. The optional nature of these questions reflects a real democratic tension: how to gather data that matters to vulnerable populations without coercing disclosure. Yet the very fact that Australia took two years and a prime ministerial reversal to include these questions illustrates how contested LGBTQ+ visibility remains in public institutions. As other democracies have already moved forward with similar questions, Australia's delay underscores that even center-left governments sometimes hesitate when facing organized political opposition. The data collected will shape policy for years to come—making this census a measure not just of who Australians are, but of what the government is finally willing to acknowledge.