Overview of the 2026 Census topic review

The Census of Population and Housing provides a snapshot of Australia. It shows how our nation changes over time, helps estimate our population and informs critical decisions that guide our future. The 2021 Census collected data on a range of topics. The next Census will take place in 2026.

A successful Census relies on strong community support. This support is achieved through collecting data of national importance while also ensuring the Census is easy to complete and not seen as being too intrusive.

The Australian Government determines what information is collected in the Census. Every Census, the ABS undertakes a review to inform our recommendation to the Government on the topics that could be included in the Census.

The review is undertaken to ensure information collected in the Census remains relevant as Australia changes and maintains strong support for the Census. 

The review of topics includes extensive public consultation, stakeholder engagement and testing. The ABS is currently in the public consultation phase.

The ABS is undertaking a two-phase public consultation process to inform our recommendation on topics for the 2026 Census:

• Phase one: 28 February to 28 April 2023 - understanding what information the public would like the ABS to collect on the Census. 
• Phase two: 27 July to 8 September 2023 - consultation on topics being considered for inclusion, change or removal from the 2026 Census. This considered public input from phase one. 

In late 2023, the ABS will publish outcomes from the second phase of consultation, including the topics progressing to testing. Proposed new topics and questions will be tested using focus groups, cognitive interviews and a large-scale test.

In mid-2024, the ABS will make a recommendation to the Australian Government on the topics that could be included in the 2026 Census.

Following Government decision on topics for inclusion in the 2026 Census, Treasury will coordinate an amendment to the Census and Statistics Regulation 2016 to be tabled in both houses of the Australian Parliament.

Outcomes and topics to be included in the 2026 Census will be published on the ABS website in late 2025.

The Census is just one way that the ABS can meet the data needs of the Australian community. The ABS will review submissions to identify if other ABS surveys or administrative data could be used to meet the proposed data need.

Phase one of the consultation was open between 28 February to 28 April 2023 and was aimed at understanding what information the public would like the ABS to collect on the 2026 Census.

The ABS received 260 submissions and considered more than 500 other pieces of feedback during phase one of the consultation. Phase one submissions, where consent was provided, are available to view on the ABS Consultation Hub.

The ABS has evaluated the value to the public of collecting each new and existing topic and developed a shortlist of topics being considered further for the 2026 Census.

Topics that rated highly against the public value criteria have progressed for further assessment to determine the feasibility of collecting the data in the Census. Not all shortlisted topics will proceed to testing or be included in the 2026 Census. 

There are 28 new or changed topics that were assessed as having strong public value and will be assessed further in the next phase. This includes 12 new topics and 16 topics with one or more changes flagged (including considering replacing one topic with administrative data). 

There are 33 existing topics that will proceed to phase two with no proposed change.

Phase two of the 2026 Census topic consultation was open between 27 July to 8 September 2023 and was aimed at understanding the impacts of potential changes to the topics that were collected in 2021. 

Members of the public, community groups and other organisations were invited to participate in this consultation through the ABS Consultation Hub.

During phase two of the consultation, the ABS continued to engage with key stakeholders to clarify information and seek advice to ensure that recommendations on topics are well-informed. 

The ABS hosted live webinars on how to prepare high-quality submissions for phase one and phase two consultations. Audience question and answer sessions followed the presentations.  

Recordings of the phase one and phase two webinars are available on the ABS YouTube channel.  

The ABS considers requests for new or changed topics for the Census against a set of criteria. 2021 Census topics are also being reviewed against the same criteria. This process identifies if the topic should be recommended to the Australian Government for inclusion in the 2026 Census. These criteria have been informed by the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses.

The first step in this process will be assessing the public value of collecting data on the topic. To do this we will collate the evidence provided in the submissions and then consider whether: 

1. The topic is of current national importance.

2. There is a need for data at the national level, and either the local level or for small population groups.

3. There is likely to be a continuing need for data on the topic following the Census.  

The ABS will further assess topics that rate strongly against the public value criteria. This assessment will help determine if the Census is the most appropriate way to provide data on the topic. The criteria are:

4. There are no other suitable alternative data sources or solutions that could meet the topic need.

5. Data on the topic can be collected efficiently.

6. A representative of the household would be willing and able to answer questions on the topic for each member of the household.

In addition to assessing the topics individually, the ABS will consider if the combination of topics will maintain a high level of public support for the Census. This includes the overall size and complexity of the Census form, and if collecting data on a topic will impact how the public answers questions on other topics.

See the detailed assessment criteria for our considerations for each criterion. 

For information on confidentiality of submissions and personal information please read
Privacy - Australian Bureau of Statistics - Consultation Hub.

Access ABS Collection Notices for information on the collection and use of personal information as part of phase one and phase two of the 2026 Census topic review process.

You can subscribe to receive updates about the 2026 Census topic consultation process at www.subscribe.abs.gov.au/2026Census.