2026 Census Population and Housing Census Data Collection Notice

This Collection Notice explains the collection of personal information for the 2026 Census.  Every five years, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) counts every person and household in Australia. This is called the Census of Population and Housing. The next Census will be held on 11 August 2026. The Census is a snapshot of Australia’s people and housing. 

The ABS will collect your personal information under the authority of the Australian Bureau of Statistics Act 1975 and the Census and Statistics Act 1905.

Personal information is collected through the Census form. You can complete your Census online, by paper or with help from us.

Generally, one person will complete the Census form for everyone in the household on Census night.  If you want to complete a separate form for privacy reasons, you can request a separate form on the Census website.

The ABS may also collect personal information through:

• operational processes to run the Census
• follow-up surveys such as the Post-Census Review
• contact you make with the ABS (email, phone calls, website enquiries, social media channels)
• phone calls to the Census Contact Centre, operated by Services Australia on behalf of the ABS
• administrative data (information collected by government agencies and organisations during their daily operations) to help improve coverage and quality of our data
• technical information if you complete the Census online (for details, see our Website privacy, copyright and disclaimer). 

The ABS will collect personal information about you, everyone in your household on Census night, and some personal information about people who would normally be in your household. Information collected includes: 

• name
• address for where they usually live, and addresses for one year and five years ago
• age, date of birth, sex recorded at birth, marital status, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status
• country of birth, citizenship, ancestry, languages used, education, employment and income
• religious beliefs (optional) and long-term health conditions.

We will also collect information relating to gender and sexual orientation for everyone in your household on Census night who is 16 years and older. You can choose to select ‘prefer not to answer’.    

We also collect and use administrative data, which is information collected by government agencies and organisations during their daily operations. Visit Website privacy, copyright and disclaimer.

We collect personal information to create statistics about Australia. 

Census data provides a snapshot of Australia’s people and housing and tells the story of how we are changing. It is used to estimate Australia’s population, distribute government funds, and plan services for communities around Australia. The ABS collects and uses administrative data to improve the coverage and quality of Census data. This data is used only for statistical purposes and to run the Census, and never for compliance or enforcement activities.

Protecting people’s privacy and keeping your information safe and secure is very important for us. It’s a key factor in designing all elements of the Census.   

The information you provide is confidential. We are legally required to keep data secure and not publish or share information in a way that is likely to enable the identification of an individual.  Your data is protected by the Privacy Act 1988 and the secrecy provisions of the Census and Statistics Act 1905.  For further information, please visit privacy at the ABS.

The ABS does not share any information from your Census form that could identify you or anyone in your household with other government departments or with direct marketing companies. Census information will not be used for compliance or enforcement purposes.

Statistical data collected and used by the ABS and its systems is stored on Australian-based secure infrastructure. A range of processes and protections make sure information on Census forms stays confidential. This includes the strongest encryption technology available to keep information from the online Census form secure. For paper forms, we give you Reply Paid envelopes to return the form.

The ABS may be asked to share information under the Data Availability and Transparency Act 2022 (DATA Scheme) for a limited range of permitted purposes, but only with the written approval of the Australian Statistician.

Yes, the Census is compulsory. Everyone in Australia on Tuesday 11 August 2026, including people living in Norfolk Island, the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island, must be included on a Census form (per the Census and Statistics [Population and Housing] Notice 2016). 

You can be directed in writing to complete the Census and if you do not complete the Census when directed, you could be prosecuted and fined.

Knowingly providing false or misleading statements or information is an offence. 

The ABS keeps personal information only for as long as it is needed for statistical purposes and destroys the information in line with the Archives Act 1983 and ABS records authorities.

The ABS will only keep names from Census forms on record for 18 months from Census night and addresses from Census forms for up to three years from Census night.

As part of the Census, you can choose to have the information you provided on the Census form transferred to the National Archives of Australia as part of the Census Time Capsule and preserved for 99 years. Once transferred, it cannot be reversed. The information will not be made available for any purpose until 2125 and cannot be accessed, altered or retrieved before that time. 

Administrative data used to support Census processing is not transferred to the National Archives of Australia.

Read the 2026 Census Privacy Statement for detailed information about how the ABS manages, protects and uses personal information.

The ABS Privacy Policies for Statistical Information and for Managing and Operating our Business explain how you can request access to, and correction of, your personal information or make a privacy complaint. 

email:    

privacy@abs.gov.au

post:      

ABS Privacy Officer 

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Locked Bag 10

Belconnen ACT 2616