Clarification on new Census questions

Released: 28/07/2026

Current media commentary about the 2026 Census misrepresents the questions on sex at birth, sexual orientation and gender. 

The 2026 Census includes a question about a person’s sex recorded at birth. A question on sex has been asked in every Australian Census since 1911.  

For people aged 16 years and older, the Census form also includes questions on gender and sexual orientation – these are new questions. 

A ‘prefer not to answer’ option is included for both new questions. 

These questions will help build a clearer picture of Australia’s LGBTQ+ population and support planning for health and community services. 

Asking a question about gender will improve the quality of the data collected for sex recorded at birth. 

Together, answers to the sex recorded at birth and gender questions will help produce data about people who are cisgender, trans and gender diverse. 

However, the Census questions do not contain the terms “cis-”, “trans” or “gender diverse”. The exact phrasing of the Census questions and response options is displayed below.

The ABS carried out extensive public consultation and testing to ensure the questions are easy to understand for people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. 

Countries like the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada have also collected this data in the Census to support evidence-based policy and service delivery.  

• Guidance on how to answer the Census questions and what the data is used for.
• Support for people to complete their Census.
• More information on the criteria the ABS assesses topics against.
• For media requests and interviews, contact ABS Media at media@abs.gov.au or call 1300 175 070.