August 28th 2024.
There has been a growing demand for the federal government to incorporate questions about the LGBTIQ+ community in the upcoming 2026 census. This comes after it was announced that there would be no changes made to the census questionnaire. Nicky Bath, the CEO of LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, has expressed her concerns about the consequences of this decision in a public letter. She revealed that the Labor Party, who previously showed support for this inclusion, has now backed out and will not include a question about sexuality and gender diversity.
Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles shared with reporters on Wednesday that the government has made the decision not to ask about sexual orientation in the 2026 census. This has raised questions and concerns from Bath, who has taken the initiative to write letters to Labor MPs in order to gain an explanation for this sudden change of stance. She has also urged them to work with LGBTIQ+ Health Australia to address the health and wellbeing disparities faced by this community.
Bath expressed her disappointment in the lack of transparency and accountability regarding the government's decision. She highlighted the fact that the LGBTIQ+ community is recognized as a priority population in various national health strategies due to the significant disparities they face in terms of health and wellbeing compared to the rest of the Australian population. However, there has been a lack of action and coordination in addressing these issues.
Bath emphasized the importance of collecting data on gender diversity and sexuality for effective health planning and government funding. She stated that census data is the only reliable source for this information in Australia. On Sunday, she spoke out against the Albanese government's decision, calling it "shameful" and stating that it will only perpetuate the data gaps that are necessary for addressing the health disparities faced by the community.
Dr. Morgan Carpenter, the CEO of Intersex Human Rights Australia, also expressed their disappointment in the exclusion of questions about sexuality in the census. They pointed out that this means there won't be adequate data on the health and circumstances of individuals with innate variations of sex characteristics. They also criticized the current line of questioning in the previous census, stating that it is meaningless for the LGBTIQ+ community.
The next opportunity to include questions about the LGBTIQ+ community in the census would be in 2031. In response to the criticism, Marles stated that the reason for Labor's decision not to add this topic was to avoid creating divisive debates within the community at this time. However, the calls for inclusion continue as it is evident that the data collected from the census plays a crucial role in addressing the health and wellbeing of the LGBTIQ+ community.
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