September
Labor adds to census backflip on sexual orientation and gender
Treasurer Jim Chalmers revealed the 2026 survey would now include a new section on LGBTQ and additional questions on the sexuality of Australians.
- Updated
- Ronald Mizen
August
Albanese backflips on sexuality census question
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has agreed to reinstate a census question on sexual orientation, but remains under pressure to survey all gender identities.
- Tom Burton and Phillip Coorey
Labor MP breaks ranks over LGBTQ census question
Josh Burns reveals he has been lobbying internally for Labor to keep its promise to count gender and sexually diverse people in the census.
- Updated
- Tom McIlroy
- Opinion
- Government Observed
A culture war is the least of the census’ problems. Let’s get rid of it
A ditched plan to include questions about the LGBTQ community in the census has raised questions about the future of the $600 million big five-yearly national survey.
- Tom Burton
February
Costs of PwC tax leaks scandal rise another $40m
US tech integrator Slalom will lead the 2026 digital census program for the Australian Bureau of Statistics after PwC and spin-off Scyne pulled out of bidding.
- Tom Burton
June 2023
PwC public sector spin-off faces census test
The ability for PwC’s $1 public consulting spin-off to win back the confidence of federal public sector leaders is set to be tested with the release of a tender for the 2026 digital census.
- Tom Burton
December 2022
Demographic changes shift Australia’s spirit of Christmas
Christianity is declining in Australia, while a rise in families from multicultural backgrounds is helping shape the traditional December 25 celebration.
- Tom McIlroy
August 2022
- Analysis
- Inside Government
Learning the lessons of #censusfail
The ABS learnt from the mistakes of the 2016 census shutdown, running a text-book 2021 survey.
- Tom Burton
July 2022
- Opinion
- Retail
Retailers alert as Millennials, Zoomers take over from Boomers
The changing face of Australia has financial implications as younger generations outnumber older ones and the country becomes a more culturally diverse society.
- Sue Mitchell
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Only people and productivity add up to prosperity
The census showed Australians are better off than they often think. But we also need to do more to secure our fortunes.
- The AFR View
NSW, Vic might have fewer federal parliamentary seats next election
Australia’s population has more than doubled in 50 years, with new census data showing more than 1 million new residents have arrived in Australia since 2017.
- Tom McIlroy
Lockdown headcount reveals a prosperous nation
On census night in 2021 the five-yearly snapshot of the nation showed a country going from strength to strength. But storm clouds are gathering on the horizon.
- Ronald Mizen
June 2022
GST fight looms over ‘hopeless’ population counts
The census revealed the ACT is the country’s fastest growing jurisdiction. But Chief Minister Andrew Barr says that shows the territory has been shortchanged.
- Tom McIlroy
- Opinion
- The AFR View
The lucky country needs a bigger Australia ambition
On census night in August last year, Australia’s population had swelled to 25.5 million. Tripling this over the next 70 years to 75 million will require political leadership.
- The AFR View
‘We made the right decision’: India is top source of migrants
India has moved past China and New Zealand to become the third-largest country of birth behind Australia and England, according to the latest census.
- Gus McCubbing
Long-term health conditions add to budget pain
More than 8 million Australians live with one or more long-term health conditions, limiting workforce participation and productivity
- Tom McIlroy
Households shrink when COVID-19 knocks on the door
The size of Australian households has declined over the past five years, a shift that may have accelerated during the pandemic, increasing demand for housing and sending rents sky-high even as overseas migration fell sharply.
- Nick Lenaghan
The ‘Achilles heel’ for households the census missed
The 2021 census showed an Australia spending less of their bigger pay packets on rents and mortgages, but rising rates and inflation may threaten that.
- Ronald Mizen
Census 2021 reveals the changing face of Australia
The pandemic era - and potentially most complete - headcount of Australians shows a less religious, more multicultural, no longer Boomer-dominated country.
- Tom McIlroy
Census 2021: Australia becomes a majority migrant nation
More than 50 per cent of respondents to last year’s national population snapshot are first- or second-generation Australians.
- Tom McIlroy
