Census will now include questions on sexual orientation and gender identity

Written by: Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

The Albanese government has shifted again on the 2026 census, now saying it will include questions on both sexual orientation and gender identity.

In its latest iteration, the government announced on Sunday the census would include “a new topic of sexual orientation and gender”.

Originally the government ruled out any new questions, arguing they would be divisive.

After a backlash from the LGBTIQ+ community, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there would be one question on “sexuality”. He did not spell out the detail. But pressure on the government continued, with critics saying this was too narrow and questions on gender should also be included.

The assistant minister for treasury, Andrew Leigh, outlining the latest position, said the government would allow the Bureau of Statistics “to ask questions on sexual orientation and gender for the first time, in keeping with their recommendation to government”.

The questions will only asked of those aged 16 and over, and will not be compulsory.

Leigh said the new topic reflected consultations with the ABS’s LGBTIQ+ expert advisory committee.

But the questions won’t include one on variations of sex characteristics (intersex status). Leigh said this was not recommended by the ABS.

“Although this topic was considered by the ABS, testing indicated high quality data could not be collected due to the technical complexity of the topic. The government will continue to work with the intersex community about ways of gathering information in other ABS surveys,” Leigh said.

The government this year will introduce a legislative instrument to give effect to the new questions.

National LGBTIQ+ group Equality Australia welcomed the latest move.

The group’s CEO, Anna Brown, said it was the “sensible, pragmatic and moral course of action, that will ensure vital data about some of the most vulnerable populations in Australia is collected nationally for the first time”.

She hoped the expert advisory group could continue working with the ABS on a new topic covering intersex people for a future census. Intersex people ^[1] have innate sex characteristics that don’t fit medical and social norms for female or male bodies.