Sydney:
Australia's census will ask citizens about their sexuality for the first time, the government said on Friday, a policy change aimed at quelling anger from LGBTQ groups.
Proponents say questions about sexual identity would give a more accurate picture of who Australians are and who they are in love with.
Just a day after his ministers explained that the census amendment had been withdrawn to avoid a divisive debate, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Friday that a question on sexuality would be included in the 2026 survey.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has developed a new question on sexual orientation, which is now being tested before it can be included in the survey, he said.
“We think this is a sensible position,” Albanese told public broadcaster ABC.
In Australia it is mandatory to complete the census. Failure to do so may result in a fine.
But people would have the choice whether or not to answer the question about their sexual orientation, the prime minister said.
When asked why the government had backed down, Albanese replied: “No, this is the first time I've been asked about it.”
However, he made no mention of plans to add a question about gender identity, saying only that there would be no “huge changes” to the census.
Equality Australia, a human rights advocacy group, said it was unclear what impact the census would have on transgender people and people of diverse gender identities, and on people with congenital variations in sex characteristics.
“We welcome the inclusion of a question on sexual orientation, but our country's national picture must include all of us, not just some of us,” said Anna Brown, chief executive of Equality Australia.
“The federal government cannot simply select those who are worthy of being counted.”
Brown said including LGBTQ people in the census would bring Australia in line with other countries that already do so, including Britain, Canada and New Zealand.
“It would be a shame if the government does not trust the Australian public enough to accept that the census is necessary to collect basic information about our country so that it is meaningful and useful,” she said.
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