Overview
- The ABS published its 2026 Census Topics and Data Release Plan confirming new questions on gender and sexual orientation following public consultation.
- People aged 16 and over will report sex recorded at birth, self-identified gender, and sexual orientation, with options including write-in, don't know, and prefer not to answer.
- Gender response choices will include Man, Woman, Non-binary, or another term specified by the respondent.
- Other updates allow reporting up to four ancestries, revise wording for parents' country of birth, return the childbirth count to a once-a-decade cycle, add e-bikes for travel-to-work, and list liver disease among long-term health conditions.
- The Census is scheduled for 11 August 2026, with data released in three phases from June 2027 to early 2028, and products designed to protect confidentiality.