Excluding LGBTQ+ questions in Australian census would make populations ‘invisible’, advocates say

Health research groups have responded to the lack of inclusive questions in the 2026 Census in Australia. They say that excluding gender, sexual orientation or diverse sex characteristics questions would make populations “invisible”.

Multiple health and research organisations have said that failing to add questions important to the LGBTQ+ community in the upcoming census would put these groups at further risk of “marginalisation and disadvantage”.

Eight health research groups, including the Australian Human Rights Institute and the University of New South Wales’(UNSW) Kirby Institute, have urged the government to reconsider its decision. 

It comes after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that just one question about sexuality would be included for the first time. 

He also said that the federal government informed the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to cancel questions on sexuality, gender and diverse sex characteristics because they “weren’t appropriate”. 

Health research organisations say LGBTQ+ groups are at ‘increased risk of marginalisation’

Multiple health research organisations have issued a joint statement, urging the government to reconsider its decision to exclude questions aimed at the LGBTQ+ community in Australia’s 2026 Census. 

The statement read: “When populations are invisible in the Census, they are at increased risk of marginalisation and disadvantage.”

The groups added that the questions had already “undergone rigorous testing” and the decision to exclude them was “not sufficient”. 

It continued: “The omission of comprehensive data collection on sex, gender, and innate variations of sex characteristics in the 2026 Census will undermine our ability to understand the health needs and socio-economic well-being of LGBTI+ populations.”

“We call on our leaders to be clear and bold in ensuring no one is overlooked due to data gaps,” it concluded.

The statement was signed by UNSW’s Kirby Institute, the Centre for Sex and Gender in Health and Medical Research, the Centre for Social Research in Health, the Social Policy Research Centre, the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, the Australian Human Rights Institute, UNSW’s Community of Practice for Inclusive Research for Queer and Trans People, and People with variations of sex characteristics, and UNSW’s School of Population Health.