Census

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ABS partnering with Slalom Australia to deliver the 2026 Census Digital Service

Media Release
Released
24/01/2024

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has announced it will partner with Slalom Australia to deliver key digital services for the 2026 Census. 

Duncan Young, General Manager Census and Population Division, said Slalom Australia bring a high degree of expertise and proven capabilities to support the successful and efficient delivery of the Census Digital Service, including the online form. 

“The ABS completely rebuilt the digital service for the 2021 Census, providing a smooth, secure and easy experience for Australians. We will be working with Slalom Australia to build on the success of 2021, optimising elements of the service to improve quality and performance while ensuring it remains secure and contemporary for 2026.

“As the cyber landscape continues to change rapidly, protecting people’s privacy and keeping information safe and secure is the highest priority for the ABS. This partnership allows us to move ahead with our digital-first approach, where we anticipate 85 per cent of Australians completing the Census online in 2026.”

In addition to its modern delivery and software engineering capabilities, Slalom Australia will also provide operational support services before, during and after the 2026 Census night event, including for two major public tests in 2024 and 2025. 

The Census Digital Service will again be hosted using Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud. All underlying AWS services are accredited as PROTECTED, the highest data security classification in Australia. This enables Australian public and private sector organisations to store and process highly sensitive data at the PROTECTED security classification level. 

“We are looking forward to working with Slalom Australia and Amazon Web Services to deliver a successful Census Digital Service for this important national event,” Mr Young said.

Media notes

  • PROTECTED accreditation is provided by an independent security assessor accredited by the Australian Signals Directorate.
  • When reporting ABS data you must attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source. 
  • For media requests and interviews, contact the ABS Media Team on 1300 175 070 (8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri). 
  • Subscribe to our media release notification service to notify you of ABS media releases or publications upon their release. 

 

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