Sydney, September 8 — After more than a week of uproar around the center-left Labour government’s earlier decision to remove questions on gender identity and sexual orientation, Australia will now ask questions about these topics in its census for the first time.The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) will draft the questions for the 2026 census, according to Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who stated on Sunday that gender and sexual orientation will be included

“We’ve listened to the LGBTIQ+ community to ensure that we can work with the ABS to deliver this really important change for the 2026 census,” he said. “We say to Australians from the LGBTIQ+ community: you matter, you’ve been heard, you will be counted.”

The questions are optional and will only be asked of individuals over the age of 16. The change reverses an August decision to remove questions about LGBTIQ+ identify. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles stated that the government does not want to start controversial arguments. He rejected any political motivation for the decision, despite media reports that the administration was concerned about launching a culture-war-style campaign ahead of an election that is expected to be held within nine months. For the first time, the United Kingdom’s 2021 census includes an optional question about sexual orientation. — Reuters