Australia’s census to ask about sexuality for first time after backlash

Australia’s 2026 census will ask a question about sexuality and sexual preference following outrage from LGBTQ+ groups over the government’s initial decision to avoid “divisive debates”. 

On Sunday (25 August), assistant treasury minister Andrew Leigh revealed that questions about sexuality and gender wouldn’t be included, following the absence of such questions in the 2021 census. 

His announcement brought criticism from politicians, activists and LGBTQ+ and human rights groups.

Australia’s deputy prime minister Richard Marles defended the government’s decision to avoid questions about gender, sexual orientation and variations of sex characteristics, saying the government did “not want to open up divisive debates in the community”. 

On Friday (30 August), a day after Marles’ comments, prime minister Anthony Albanese announced that a question about sexuality will now be included for the first time. 

Albanese told ABC: “We’ve been talking with the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), and they’re going to test a new question, one question about sexuality, sexual preference.

“They’ll be testing, making sure that people will have the option of not answering it, ‘prefer not to answer’. We think that is a common-sense position to be put.”

The PM denied backing down from the government’s initial position, adding: “This is the first time I have been asked about it. 

“What there isn’t going to be is holus-bolus, massive changes to the census, because we think it’s been pretty effective in the past, and, for a range of issues, the census isn’t the right vehicle to engage with the community.”

‘The census won’t include all Australians’

Equality Australia chief executive Anna Brown welcomed the inclusion of the question, but added that “the national snapshot of our nation must include all of us, not just some of us”. 

Brown went on to say: “We’re happy the government has decided to include a sexual orientation question in the census, but until questions on gender identity and intersex people are included, the census won’t include all Australians.”

In 2021, the government avoided questions about the queer community, leading the ABS to issue a statement of regret after LGBTQ+ people reported feeling “hurt, stress, anguish and other negative reactions”. 

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.