Post Census Review

The Post Census Review (PCR) is an important national survey that is conducted after every Census. This survey provides an important check on the Census and helps confirm we got the Census right. 

Your participation ensures that everyone in Australia was counted. This improves our population data and supports planning decisions for Australia’s future. Your response helps plan services where they are needed most—like schools, hospitals and community services.

We value your time in taking part in this survey. Your support helps shape the statistics that inform Australia’s important decisions.

You can access the survey results for free on the Statistics page.

If your household has received a letter saying that you’ve been selected to take part in the Post Census Review, it is important that you give us a call. We will ask a few questions about you, your household, where you usually live, and where you were on Census night.

You can complete the survey by phone in less than 10 minutes.

Call 1800 143 967 to complete it now:

• Mon–Fri: 9am–8pm AEST/AEDT
• Sat–Sun: 10am–5pm AEST/AEDT

If we don’t hear from you by the due date on your letter, an ABS Interviewer will contact you to complete the survey.

Please note, in some remote areas of Australia, you may not receive a letter in the mail. In these cases, an ABS Interviewer will provide you with information about the survey when they contact you to complete it.

One adult can complete the survey for everyone in the household, including any visitors. Choose an adult who knows the household well and can answer the questions most accurately for everyone.

If no one in the household is aged 18 years or over, please contact us for help with completing the survey.

The Post Census Review is a compulsory survey conducted by the ABS. We are asking the questions under the authority of the Census and Statistics Act 1905. Like other civic duties, such as voting or jury duty, you have an obligation to participate. The Act obliges you to provide the information we request, unless otherwise stated.

There may be penalties for not providing the requested information.

The survey asks for basic information about your household, including age, sex and relationships. It also asks:

• Whether each person was included on a Census form, and at which address.
• Whether each person could have been included on a Census form at another address.
• Where each person was staying on Census night.

The survey asks some similar questions to the Census because the Post Census Review aims to match a respondent’s information to their Census information. This helps the ABS to understand how many people were missed or counted twice in the Census. 

The ABS takes the privacy and security of your information very seriously. 

You can find more details on how we collect personal information for the Census and the Post Census Review in the 2026 Census Collection Notice for Census Data.

We collect information in compliance with the Australian Privacy Principle 5 (Privacy Act, 1988). You can also view our Privacy Policy for Statistical Information.

For any in-person visits, our ABS Interviewers will always identify themselves. They will:

• show you their official ABS photo identification
• clearly explain the information they are seeking.

If you are not home when an ABS Interviewer visits your household, they will leave a calling card saying that they have tried to make contact. This card will include phone contact details to enable you to call them. Our Interviewers use ABS authorised mobile phones and office phones to conduct interviews.

The ABS will never ask you to provide or confirm your bank log in details or tax file number (TFN).

We can confirm your selection in the survey and the identity of the staff member who is contacting you. If you have any concerns, you can call us on 1800 143 967. ABS Interviewers are here to help. Please treat them with courtesy and consideration.

All responses are kept strictly confidential by law. The personal information provided in the Post Census Review remains strictly confidential to the ABS and is protected by the secrecy provisions of the Census and Statistics Act 1905. As an Australian Government agency, we comply with our obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 and manage personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles.

Please call us on 1800 143 967 if you need help or more information about the Post Census Review. We are available during the following office hours: 

• Mon–Fri: 9am–8pm AEST/AEDT
• Sat–Sun: 10am–5pm AEST/AEDT

For help outside these hours, please leave a message with your contact details and we will call you back. 

You can also fill out a Household survey help request form, and we will call you as soon as possible.

If you need help to complete this survey, please call us on 1800 143 967. We may be able to arrange for an ABS Interviewer who speaks the language of the householder to help you. 

If this is not possible, we can organise an interpreter from the Translating and Interpreting Service to be on the call.