Albanese’s Captain’s Call On Census Sparks Outrage Among LGBTQIA+ Community
100 LGBTQIA+ peak bodies, experts, and organisations have called for the 2026 census to collect data on gender, innate variations of sex characteristics, and sexual orientation. This comes after the government’s decision to include only one question on sexual orientation, which has been met with disappointment and frustration.
According to Nine reports, Albanese expressed annoyance at the “complicated questions about sexual orientation and gender identity” and subsequently made a captain’s call to dump them from the census without seeking permission from Cabinet, as revealed by a Labor MP. However, after the decision upset LGBTQIA+ groups, it was then reversed.
Nicki Bath, CEO of LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, emphasised this point during an interview on ABC RN Breakfast with Patricia Karvelas. Ms Bath stated that the current proposal is insufficient and stressed the need for comprehensive data to understand the LGBTQIA+ community better. Bath highlighted that accurate data collection is essential for creating inclusive and effective policies, and that the absence of such data leads to increased healthcare costs and inefficient use of public resources.
The joint statement urges the government to allow the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to “do its job” and implement the questions outlined in the ABS’s Standard for Sex, Gender, Variation of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables, 2020. These questions are already in use in other studies and datasets, proving their effectiveness and necessity.
“Meaningful inclusion is essential,” the statement emphasises. “There are no alternative data sources or solutions available that meet the need for health and social planning.”
The absence of relevant census data for LGBTQIA+ populations has far-reaching consequences. The joint statement stresses that asking separate questions on innate variations of sex characteristics, sexual orientation, and gender is the only way to capture data on these populations with meaning and purpose.
“We’re not asking for anything complicated,” said another LGBTQIA+ advocate. “We just want to be counted and recognised like everyone else.”
The government’s initial reluctance to include these questions, citing concerns about causing “division,” has been met with frustration and disbelief. The LGBTQIA+ community is calling for an end to the “uncertainty and unhelpful discourse” and for the government to take action now.
For more information on LGBTQIA+ health and wellbeing, visit LGBTIQ+ Health Australia’s website. To support the petition for comprehensive LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the census, organisations can add their support by signing the declaration.
