Using administrative data to make the Census more efficient

We are using administrative data to help us improve the efficiency of the Census by reducing the number of visits to houses where no one is staying on Census night.

In the 2021 Census, we used administrative data during processing to determine which houses were empty so that our Census count was more accurate. 

In the 2026 Census, we will also use administrative data after Census night to reduce the time Census field staff spend visiting houses that were empty on Census night. These field staff can instead provide support to people who need help to participate. This will reduce the cost of running the Census.

After Census night, Census field staff visit households who have failed to complete a Census form. In many instances, a Census form will never be completed because the house was empty during the Census period. 

Using administrative data can help us understand which houses were empty on Census night. 

In 2026 we will use de-identified administrative data, including:

• Medicare, Centrelink and the Australian Taxation Office data, to identify houses where no one has had a recent interaction with a government service
• information on electricity use from energy distributors
• the ABS Address Register
• aggregate data from the last Census
• information on rental vacancies.

This is similar to the administrative data we used in 2021.

In 2021 we used electricity data for groups of houses to help predict whether an individual house was empty. For 2026, these predictions will use the electricity data for individual houses. By using this model, we are better able to predict whether a house was empty on Census night. 

Using this approach in 2021 would have saved Census field staff from visiting about 200,000 empty houses. It will make a difference to the population counts for some areas and will also help us to direct our support to people who need it.

Protecting your privacy and keeping your information secure is our highest priority. It’s a key part of how we design the Census.

We adhere to the Privacy Act 1988 and to the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), which govern how we collect and use personal information.

Our privacy policies set out the personal information handling practices of the ABS. 

We’re also bound by the secrecy requirements of the Census and Statistics Act 1905, which ensures that information collected for a statistical purpose cannot be released in a manner that's likely to enable the identification of any individual or household.

You can read more about privacy at the ABS, or check out the disclaimer, security and copyright pages.