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Australia Confirms 2026 Census Will Count Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

The ABS says the new topic will improve data for service planning.

Overview

  • Australians aged 16 and over will be asked their sex recorded at birth, their self-identified gender, and their sexual orientation.
  • Response options include non-binary, another term with a write-in field, don't know, and prefer not to answer.
  • The census will be held on Tuesday 11 August 2026, with most results due in June 2027 followed by October 2027 and early 2028 releases.
  • Other updates allow up to four reported ancestries, include e-bikes in travel-to-work, revise the parents’ country-of-birth wording to note any gender, and remove the women’s births question for 2026.
  • The ABS reiterates that no information identifying individuals will be published and will offer online, paper, and an optional MyGov delivery pathway.