This variable shows how each person in a household relates to the family reference person. It is based on the relationship in household (RLHP) variable but differs from it because it:
separates the RLHP category 'Grandchild 15 years and over' into two categories: ‘Dependent full-time student grandchild (15-24 years)’ and 'Non-dependent grandchild 15 years and over'
classifies lone grandparents (with no parent-child relationship present in the household) as ‘Lone parent'
This variable can only be used with other grandparent or grandchild variables:
This image shows a question from the 2026 Census online form. This question asks: What is Person 1’s date of birth?
Underneath the question text, the instructional text states: If date of birth is not known, please select 'Don't know date of birth' and provide Person 1’s age.
Underneath the instructional text, is a clickable More Information header. Once clicked, the More Information text is split into sections. The first section states: It is important to note: Date of birth is the date that the person was born; Age is required only if the person's date of birth is not known. Please report age at Census night – Tuesday 11 August 2026. The next section states: If the person is less than one year old and their date of birth is not known, enter '0' in the age box.
There are two response options. The first option is: Day, followed by a numeric free text field; Month, followed by dropdown options; Year, followed by a numeric free text field. The second option is a checkbox with the text: Don’t know date of birth. Checking this box will allow for Age to be entered into a numeric free text field.
What is the person's relationship to person 1/person 2?
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Description
This image shows a question from the 2026 Census online form. This question asks: What is Person 2's relationship to Person 1?
Underneath the question text, the instructional text states: Examples of other relationships: Son-in-law, Grandchild, Aunt, Boarder.
Underneath the instructional text, is a clickable More Information header. Once clicked, the More Information is shown, and states: If more than one response applies, select only the option that shows the relationship that most closely applies.
The response options are: Husband or wife or spouse of Person 1; De facto partner of Person 1; Child of Person 1; Stepchild of Person 1; Parent of Person 1; Brother or sister or sibling of Person 1; Unrelated flatmate or co-tenant of Person 1; Other relationship to Person 1(specify), followed by a free text field.
Is the person attending a school or any other education institution?
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Description
This image shows a question from the 2026 Census online form. This question asks: Is Person 1 attending a school or any other education institution?
Underneath the question text, the instructional text states: Include tertiary education and vocational education and training providers (e.g. TAFE and private training providers). Include external, online, or correspondence study.
Underneath the instructional text, is a clickable More Information header. Once clicked, the More Information is shown, and states: Select full-time student or part-time student based on whether the institution considers the person to be a full-time or part-time student. For a person who attends only hobby or recreational courses, select ‘No’.
For each person away, answer the following questions:
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Description
This image shows a question from the 2026 Census online form. This question asks: List the people who will be away on the night of Tuesday 11 August 2026 but usually live in this dwelling.
Underneath the question text, the instructional text states: Remember that people listed here will need to complete a Census form for where they will be in Australia on Census night.
There is a heading titled People away with an option to List Person Away 1 with text next to it that any person who usually lives in this dwelling but will be away.
There is a button underneath to add another person away.
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Description
This image shows a question from the 2026 Census online form. This question asks: What is Person Away A’s date of birth?
Underneath the question text, the instructional text states: If date of birth is not known, please select 'Don't know date of birth' and provide Person 1’s age.
Underneath the instructional text, is a clickable More Information header. Once clicked, the More Information text is split into sections. The first section states: It is important to note: Date of birth is the date that the person was born; Age is required only if the person's date of birth is not known. Please report age at Census night – Tuesday 11 August 2026. The next section states: If the person is less than one year old and their date of birth is not known, enter '0' in the age box.
There are two response options. The first option is: Day, followed by a numeric free text field; Month, followed by dropdown options; Year, followed by a numeric free text field. The second option is a checkbox with the text: Don’t know date of birth. Checking this box will allow for Age to be entered into a numeric free text field.
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Description
This image shows a question from the 2026 Census online form. This question asks: Is Person Away A a full-time student?
Underneath the instructional text, is a clickable More Information header. Once clicked, the More Information is shown, and states: Select ‘Yes’ if the institution considers the person to be a full-time student. Select ‘No’ if the institution considers the person to be a part-time student. For a person who attends only hobby or recreational courses select ‘No’. For a child who attends a preschool or preschool program (including early childhood education and centre based day care providers): Select ‘Yes’ if they attend at least 15 hours a week on average. Select ‘No’ if they attend less than 15 hours a week on average.
The response options are: No; Yes.
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Description
This image shows a question from the 2026 Census online form. This question asks: What is Person Away A's relationship to Person 1/Person 2?
Underneath the question text, the instructional text states: Examples of other relationships: Son-in-law, Grandchild, Aunt, Boarder.
Underneath the instructional text, is a clickable More Information header. Once clicked, the More Information is shown, and states: If more than one response applies, select the option that shows the relationship that most closely applies.
The response options are: Husband or wife or spouse of Person 1; De facto partner of Person 1; Child of both Person 1 and Person 2; Child of Person 1 only; Child of Person 2 only; Unrelated flatmate or co-tenant of Person 1; Other relationship to Person 1(specify), followed by a free text field.
How this variable is created
This variable is created using responses to the relationship in household, age, attendance at an educational institution, and persons temporarily absent (PTA) questions on the Census form. Persons temporarily absent on Census night are included when this variable is derived. This supports the identification of some families and helps distinguish lone‑person households from group households.
During data processing, families are identified and created around a family reference person. If a child or non‑family member is listed as person 1, a more suitable person is selected as the reference person.
a child aged under 15 years (including a grandchild aged under 15 years)
a dependent full-time student aged 15-24 years (including a dependent student grandchild) who doesn't have a child or partner of their own
a non‑dependent child aged 15 years and over (including a non‑dependent grandchild) who is not a full-time student and does not have a child or partner of their own
This variable is similar to relationship in household (RLHP), but there are three key differences in how relationship in household (including grandchildren) (RLGP) is processed. The table below shows these scenarios and how each variable classifies the person.
Scenario
How it would be coded in RLGP
How it would be coded in RLHP
Person is a dependent student (15-24 years) and has a relationship of grandchild to Person 1/Person 2
Person is aged over 24 years and has a relationship of grandchild to Person 1/Person 2
54 Non-dependent grandchild 15 years and over
63 Grandchild 15 years and over
Person is a lone grandparent with a grandchild (whose parent is not present in the household)
21 Lone parent
64 Grandfather/grandmother/grandparent
History and changes
This variable was first included in 2011.
In 2026, category labels have been updated. Terminology now uses non-gendered terms such as ‘sibling’, ‘parent’ and ‘grandparent’. References to ‘same-sex’ and ‘opposite-sex’ have been removed from this variable; data users can now choose to combine data from this question with couple indicators, such as couple indicator (sex recorded at birth) (SSCF) and couple indicator (gender) (CIGF), to reflect different types of couple relationships relevant to their analysis. In addition, several other category labels were updated to provide more detail. This includes the addition of the word years, specifying students as full-time and providing an age range (i.e. 15 to 24 years) where relevant. The categories of this variable have changed to a hierarchical structure.
