Worried about your data? Here's what you need to know about Census 2021

group of people from diverse background

group of people from diverse background Source: Getty Images/SolStock

Every five years, a count is taken of every person and home in Australia in the national Census of Population and Housing. The data collected from over 25 million people will help the governments, businesses and community groups to make informed decisions about infrastructure and services for Australians. However, some people may be concerned about sharing their personal information and safety of their private data. In this episode of Settlement Guide, General Manager of the Census, Chris Libreri, is answering questions about these issues.


Highlights
  • Census GM Chris Libreri says the new system is state-of-art and built to the highest standards
  • Everybody in Australia must complete the census form,regardless of their visa status, except the foreign diplomats and their families.
  • Under the Census and Statistics Act 1905, it’s mandatory to complete the Census, not participating could lead to a hefty fine.
Every five years, a count is taken of every person and home in Australia in the national Census of Population and Housing. Chris Libreri is the General Manager of the Census Division at the Australian Bureau of Statistics. He says Australia’s Census, with about 60 questions, is more comprehensive than that in many other countries.

“We ask key demographics: age, sex, marital status. We don’t ask gender in the Australian Census, and we ask other questions then, about the household and about characteristics of people like, if they work or if they don’t work, the type of work they do, the industry, the occupations. We ask a lot of information about culture, so we will ask the language that you speak, we will ask your birthplace, will ask about the birthplace of your parents; we also ask a question on ancestry.”
Population data is crucial for all important government decisions around transport, schools, healthcare, infrastructure etc. Mr Libreri says this data comes from the Census.

“Every major decision made in Australia is based on ABS data and particularly census data. So if you are going to locate something or if you want to review the services in a particular area, you need to know who lives there and their characteristics. And the census supplies that information,” Libreri explained.

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