IN BRIEF
- The Census is compulsory for everyone who will be in Australia on 11 August, including visiting international stars.
- The form must be completed in English, but information and resources are available in different languages.
On Tuesday 11 August, Italian footballing history will be made as Juventus and Palermo FC face off in Perth as part of the Calcio Italiano tournament.
That same night, players will also partake in a distinctly Australian tradition — the Census of Population and Housing.
The survey is conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) every five years. It's designed to capture and count every person in the country on Census night.
That includes international visitors, such as the Piedmont-based Juventus and the Sicilian-based Palermo football teams, who will be competing in the Australian pre-season football tournament for the first time.
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Female footballers from Chelsea FC Women will also be in Australia ahead of the final match of the Sydney Super Cup on 12 August.
It's not just sports stars; English trip-hop collective Massive Attack are set to perform at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Census night. German-French cellist Nicolas Altstaedt and French lutenist Thomas Dunford will be hosting a masterclass in Melbourne that same day.
United States actors Zac Efron, Kate Walsh, and supermodel Tyra Banks are among the international celebrities who have reportedly relocated to Australia in recent years. Meanwhile, Punjabi rapper and songwriter Karan Aujla is set to perform in Perth on 13 August.
SBS News has been unable to independently verify the whereabouts of any of these people on Census night. However, anyone in the country on 11 August is expected to complete the Census.
Why is everyone counted in the Census?
Liz Allen, a demographer at the Australian National University's Centre for Social Policy Research, said the Census is deliberately designed to provide a broad snapshot of the nation.
"It gives us an important reference point of who's in the country at that particular time," she told SBS News.
The Census is compulsory for all Australians, international visitors, temporary residents, migrants and refugees in the country. However, Australians who are overseas on 11 August do not complete the Census.
Generally, one person completes the form on behalf of their household.
Allen said that allows the ABS to collect information on "who might be staying over at a friend's house or gran's house" on Census night.
"So it's not just a Census of people. It's a Census of Population and Housing. It gives us essential information on ... how and where we live and then housing stock in the country."
The Census is usually completed online; however, individual and paper forms can be requested if preferred.
How can international visitors and students complete Census?
For international visitors and students staying in hotels, motels or student accommodation, instructions on how to complete the Census will be provided by accommodation staff.
Paper forms should be available at locations including bed and breakfasts, cruise ships, commercial vessels and snowfield accommodation.
International visitors staying in holiday rental properties (such as Airbnb or Stayz) can complete the Census online with free internet access.
People staying in remote locations or free camping sites can visit Accredited Visitor Information Centres to access Census forms. The completed survey can be mailed via the provided Reply Paid envelope.
All details, including personal information collected during the Census, are strictly confidential and protected by law. The Census must be completed in English.
Jenny Telford, general manager of the Census and Population division at the ABS, said resources are available for people whose first language is not English.
"We have our translation and interpreting service available that anybody can call if they need in language assistance," she told SBS News.
"We're also planning fill-in form centres and pop-up hubs across the country, which are physical places that people can go to get the assistance that they need to participate."
Online information about the Census, including information for people visiting or travelling from overseas, is available in 26 languages.
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