Your 5-min Census guide and how much you’ll get fined if you miss it | Australia’s ‘most pr…

Explore the latest developments concerning Your 5-min Census.

Australia’s ‘most progressive’ census comes at personal cost to April – but it means their family will finally be counted

August 11’s national census will for the first time include questions about sexual orientation, sex recorded at birth and gender

Self-professed “data nerd” April Long was excited to fill in their first census after welcoming their son, Kai, to the world. But as they opened the 2021 survey, they quickly realised it wasn’t made for them.

It excluded Long’s role as a parent, made assumptions about their gender and asked where Kai’s mother and father were born – when he has two mums.

Many “rainbow families” echoed similar experiences of the census being unable to fully capture the LGBTQ+ community.

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SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands and waterways throughout Australia.

The Census is run by the Australian government every five years — but Peter Doukas, chair of the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia (FECCA), believes it's important to remember this questionnaire is strictly "apolitical".

Since 1911, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has conducted the Census of Population and Housing, regardless of the political party in power. Data collected is used to inform decisions around the funding and location of schools, transport and health care services.

Doukas told SBS News the Census also provides valuable information on the demographic makeup of multicultural communities.

The dynamic landscape of current events often brings forth significant discussions. Monitoring these developments provides crucial insights.

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