The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) is calling on the government to make sure all members of the LGBTIQ+ community are counted in the 2026 census.
While the union is pleased to see the government admit that the initial decision to exclude Australia's LGBTIQ+ community from the census was wrong, adding just one question to the census on sexuality is a half-baked response.
The work of the ABS and the data it collects is vital in supporting informed decision-making, guiding resource allocation and service provision, and monitoring and evaluating impacts of policies and initiatives.
It is necessary to collect data on the entire LGBTIQ+ community so that government and the public service can deliver appropriate and effective services for all Australians.
Quotes attributable to Maddy Northam, CPSU ACT Regional Secretary and CPSU Queer Network Co-Convenor:
"Excluding the LGBTIQ+ community from the census was a mistake made by this government, and the CPSU is pleased to see them admitting that.
"It is now crucial that the government follows through by expanding the scope of questions to make sure all LGBTIQ+ Australians are counted.
"It is essential to survey and get a snapshot of the entire LGBTIQ+ community in the census because this data is vital for shaping effective and equitable public policy and services.
"The ABS apologised in 2021 for excluding questions on gender identity and sexuality and acknowledged the hurt and distress it caused.
"They then established an LGBTIQ expert advisory committee to help frame additional census questions.
"The responsibility for supporting this good work now lies firmly with the government.
"The CPSU is calling on the Albanese Labor Government to now accept the proposed test questions provided by the ABS in full."
