Questions about sexuality will be included in the 2026 Australian census, the prime minister says, following a backlash over its initial omission. or signup to continue reading Anthony Albanese said the Australian Bureau of Statistics is developing a question about sexuality for the national snapshot. "They're going to test for a new question, one question about sexuality, sexual preference," he told ABC Radio on Friday.
"They'll be testing, making sure as well that people will have the option of not answering it." The prime minister denied the government had been forced to back down from omitting questions on sexuality in the census. Earlier, Liberal MP Bridget Archer said it was frustrating Labor had created controversy over the issue.
Labor frontbenchers had said the government pulled plans to add the question to avoid a "divisive" and "nasty" fight despite the party pledging in its 2023 national platform. "Because this debate that we're having now is not nasty and divisive?" Ms Archer asked sarcastically on ABC radio on Friday. "I don't think anybody was thinking about it, talking about it, concerned about it, until the government told them they should be concerned in some way by deciding not to go ahead with it.
The question only added to data, Ms Archer said, noting there were always stories about how many Australians put their religion as "Jedi" from Star Wars after each national snapshot. "Do we need to know? People might ask, but we do collect information and that st.