NEWS Census may axe gender question
ONE of the first and key questions on the Australian Census – whether respondents are male or female – is under review, as part of a raft of changes being looked at by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The ABS told the Sunday Territorian it was considering changes to the standard responses of male and female, ahead of the 2021 Census and would make recommendations to the Federal Government on the subject shortly.
Non-binary sex and gender identity were among several topics under review, an ABS spokesman said.
“When it comes to Census data, the gender option in the 2016 Census was a ‘ point in time’ with no option for a respondent to say whether they previously identified as a different gender,” he said. “The ABS has been exploring changes to the standard responses of male and female for 2021 Census.”
The topics are being “tested”, with recommendations expected to be made to the Government in coming months, he said.
Other Census topics being reviewed include sexual orientation, Aboriginal identity, smoking status, past or current service in the Australian Defence Force, chronic health conditions and care of children.
Two questions which may be removed from the next Census are those inquiring about household internet access and the number of cars per household.
The ABS is required by law to run a Census every five years, with the information gleaned from the comprehensive, nationwide survey used to shape the country’s services and infrastructures needs.
The Census has changed since its inception to reflect the times, asking in 1947 if households had running water and flushing toilets and then in the 1960s if they had television sets.
Discussing the review last year, the ABS said public consultation on the range of topics to be included in the 2021 Census had taken place between April 3 and June 30 last year.
More than 400 submissions had been received from a range of sectors, including government.
And in May this year the ABS announced it would partner with information technology provider PwC Australia and workforce recruitment firm The Adecco Group to deliver key 2021 Census services.
It follows the huge problems experienced with the first online Census in 2016 where millions of Australians were unable to complete their forms online on Census night due to cyber attacks that forced the ABS to shut down the Census website for two days.
It is estimated the debacle blew out the costs of the 2016 census by $30 million.
The Adecco Group is set to recruit 30,000 temporary field staff, to help people with lodging their 2021 Census.