Australian census includes gender questions after second government change

Australians will be asked about their gender identity at the next census, after the Albanian government reversed its position for the second time on including new LGBT questions in the national survey.

Finance Minister Jim Chalmers announced on Sunday morning that Australia’s 2026 census will include transgender people for the first time. He said the government had listened to the LGBT community after equality advocates warned that excluding it from the national data would worsen policy outcomes for minority groups.

Earlier, leading ministers including Chalmers had said that including questions about sexuality or gender in the next census would lead to a divided debate.

Two weeks ago, on August 25, the government announced it would scrap plans by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to trial new questions to identify sexually diverse, transgender and intersex Australians.

Then, after an internal Labor revolt late last month that prompted six MPs to speak out against the decision, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there would be a single new question on sexual orientation. However, he came under fire for dividing the community by refusing to count transgender people in Australia.

On Sunday, Chalmers said the government had changed its position again and would include questions on gender, but he stopped short of saying there would be questions on intersex characteristics.

“We have listened to the community,” he said on the ABC programme Insiders program.

“We have worked very closely with the Australian Bureau of Statistics. I wanted to say how professional, diligent and sensitive the Chief Statistician, David Gruen, has been as we have addressed these issues. LGBTIQ+ Australians matter. They have been heard and they will be counted in the 2026 Census.”

There’s more to come