Census explained

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is taking a digital-first approach for the 2026 Census. Most households will get a letter with instructions to complete the Census online. This will include a Census number and temporary password.  

The ABS will provide paper forms to everyone who wants one. In areas where we expect a strong preference or need to use a paper form, we will deliver them directly to households. 

Some of the reasons why areas will be selected to receive paper forms directly include:

• quality of the postal service  
• regional and remote locations
• past Census completion behaviours
• demographics.

In some areas Census staff will visit households to support people to understand and complete the Census form, or conduct in-person interviews.

The ABS works closely with local community organisations to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are provided with culturally appropriate options to participate in the Census.

For remote Indigenous communities, the Census will be conducted over an extended period between July and September. This will give Census remote teams more time to visit remote communities and help people complete the Census

Census staff will visit remote communities between July and September to help people to complete the Census through face-to-face interviews.

• Doing the Census

For the first time, the ABS is partnering with Services Australia on a new option for people to subscribe to updates and access the 2026 Census through myGov.

myGov is a secure online service that allows people to access government services in one place. It is just one way to access the 2026 Census.

People who subscribe to Census updates through myGov will receive a link to the online form in their myGov Inbox when it is time to complete the Census. People who do not subscribe will still receive instructions by mail on how to complete the Census online or request a paper form.

Census information is collected and used by the ABS only for Census purposes. It is not collected or used by myGov or any other government services.

This means personal information is not prefilled when accessing the Census through myGov.

The ABS will have a range of support available to help people participate in the 2026 Census, including:

• people living with disabilities
• older Australians
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their communities  
• people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• people experiencing homelessness. 

A range of information and resources will be available to help people complete the Census, including educational resources, translated information, Census Pop-up Hubs and fill in form sessions, the Census Contact Centre and more, with support from the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) and the National Relay Service (NRS).

• Complete with help

Since the first National Census in 1911, topics have changed on the Census form to reflect contemporary views and emerging data needs. This ensures Census data remains relevant and useful for decision making. It also adds value to the economic, social and cultural make-up of the country.  

Before making changes, the ABS considers how important the data is, whether it is available from other sources, and the impact on how easy the Census is to complete.

Ahead of the 2026 Census, the ABS undertook a two-phase consultation process on what topics to change.  

Following testing and stakeholder engagement, the ABS recommended the Australian Government collect gender and sexual orientation data in the 2026 Census.  

The Australian Government accepted this recommendation and announced a new topic for people aged 16 years and over. The Government also agreed to remove the ‘Number of children ever born’ topic and make minor wording updates.  

The final 2026 Census questions are available on the ABS website.

• 2026 Census topic review

To meet the evolving needs of a diverse range of data users, the ABS has redesigned its Census data products.  

From June 2027, Census data will be free and available through a range of products, making it easier to access and use:  

• For most topics, data will be released in June 2027
• For a smaller set of topics, such as employment, data will be released in October 2027, and  
• The remaining data, such as the distance people live from where they work, will be released in early 2028. 

• 2026 Census topics and data release plan

The first population counts in Australia were made as early as 1788.

From 1795 to 1825, ‘musters’ were held regularly where all members of the community gathered at specified locations to be counted.

In 1828, the first colonial Census was conducted in New South Wales, with Tasmania in 1841, South Australia in 1844, Western Australia in 1848, and Victoria in 1854.

In 1881, the first simultaneous Censuses of all the Australian colonies was conducted.

In 1911, the first national Census was conducted by the ABS. Around 7,300 people were appointed for the collection work.

Field Officers travelled by horse, cart and bicycle to collect forms across the country and the information collected was tabulated by hand.

The Census was repeated in 1921, 1933, 1947, 1954, 1961, 1966 and from then on, every five years.

In 1921, Census information was tabulated using mechanical machine equipment.  

The machines used in 1961 were so large that when delivered they could not fit through the door of the Census office in Canberra. A large hole had to be cut in the side of the wooden building to install them. The 1961 Census was the last to use tabulating machines.

In 1954, women were hired to process and code data for the first time.  

The 1967 Referendum mandated all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples be counted in the Australian Census.  

Computer technology was first used to process Census information in 1966, and people were provided with the option to complete their Census online in 2006.

The main way the ABS determines which homes have people living in them at Census time is based on whether or not they return a Census form.

If we receive a Census form for a home we mark it as ‘occupied’.

If we do not receive a Census form, we use other methods to determine whether it is occupied or not, including:

• ‘not at home’ forms submitted by residents through the ABS website
• residents who contacted the ABS with information
• information from Census field staff  
• other requests and point of contacts with dwellings.

Marking a home as ‘unoccupied’ does not necessarily mean it is vacant over the long term, rather that it was vacant on Census night. 

• Making the Census more efficient by reducing visits to empty houses

The ‘Place of usual residence’ concept is not intended to measure temporary or service populations, or how many people there are in areas at different points in time.  

There are a range of regions around Australia that experience differences between their resident and service or seasonal populations, including:

• agricultural areas with a seasonal workforce  
• mining towns with fly in fly out workers
• tourist areas with seasonal visitor numbers

This is why the Census takes place in winter, when we expect the least amount of mobility across the population.

• Place of usual residence