2024-08-25
After years of promises and working groups, the Albanese Labor Government has quietly killed off the inclusion of questions on sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex characteristics in the upcoming 2026 Census.
The failure of the Census to appropriately consider LGBTIQA+ people in its design was so acute that the Australian Bureau of Statistics issued a rare Statement of Regret a year ago, apologising to the LGBTIQA+ community, Equality Australia and April Long for the exclusion of non-binary people from being counted as parents.
In response, the ABS set up an LGBTIQA+ expert advisory committee to ensure future Censuses used appropriate language and ensure LGBTIQA+ people are counted. A committee they have clearly ignored.
Including questions about sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex characteristics in the Census — alongside appropriate and inclusive language in the rest of the Census and safeguards against domestic and family violence an accidental outing might trigger — have long been demands of the LGBTIQA+ community.
The lack of clear data on the prevalence, experiences and economic circumstances of LGBTIQA+ people has stymied our community’s demands for reform. It is impossible without appropriate Census questions for governments and support services to understand the health and wellbeing needs of LGBTIQA+ people — and the breadth of need and scale of funding necessary to address the compounding disadvantages LGBTIQA+ people face, particularly in rural and regional areas.
Last year, Stephen Bates MP tabled a petition 5,000 signatures-strong from Evalyn Venture in Federal Parliament calling on the ABS to include these questions in the Census. Equality Australia has also run its CountUsIn campaign with thousands of people Australia-wide signing up.
Quotes attributable to Stephen Bates MP, Australian Greens LGBTIQA+ spokesperson
“Today, Anthony Albanese and Labor have — once again — betrayed the LGBTIQA+ community.
“Clearly LGBTIQA+ rights don't matter to Labor anymore. Labor has backpedalled and stalled on every reform that would improve the lives of queer people.
“Labor has failed to deliver protections for LGBTIQA+ teachers and students, Labor has failed to deliver the LGBTIQA+ health and wellbeing action plan, and now Labor’s even failed at the bare minimum to count LGBTIQA+ appropriately in the Census.
“It is abundantly clear that Labor in Opposition and Labor in Government are two entirely different parties. They say one thing and do another.
“You can’t trust the major parties to ever defend LGBTIQA+ people.