LGBTIQA+ Health Australia says the decision by the Albanese government to drop a promise to include specific questions in the national census about LGBTIQA+ people will have a long lasting effect.
The health group says the decision shows a shameful lack of commitment to addressing the health and wellbeing disparities experienced by LGBTIQ+ people and will have a lasting negative impact on people’s lives for many years.
Nicky Bath, CEO of LGBTIQ+ Health Australia (LHA), said the decision is baffling.
“This is a devastating and baffling decision that will retain the significant data gaps needed to address the pervasive health and wellbeing disparities that we continue to live with. It also means that accurate data will not be collected on LGBTIQ+ families.
“The lives of LGBTIQ+ people are not political footballs. Choosing not to include just four lifesaving questions, informed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics Standard in the 2026 Census, is an indictment of this Government that will have real-life consequences for LGBTIQ+ people.” Bath said.
Dr Morgan Carpenter, CEO of Intersex Human Rights Australia (IHRA), said the removal of proposed questions about sexuality and gender will make the census meaningless.
“Without meaningful inclusion in the 2026 Census, we won’t have good, reliable data on the health and circumstances of people with innate variations of sex characteristics (intersex variations/differences of sex development). Worse than this, if the next census is the same as the last, it will collect data that is meaningless.”
For over a decade LHA and IHRA have worked closely with the ABS and other stakeholders to develop and implement data models that meaningfully and respectfully count people with innate variations of sex characteristics, who are trans and gender diverse and have diverse sexual orientations.
This included detailed case studies, user testing and analysis, resulting in better data models and a new Standard for health and medical research to improve health outcomes.
The two groups say this decision to disregard LGBTIQ+ people and ignore the evidence that demonstrates the need for this data is a decision that will impact negatively on people’s lives for many years to come. The next opportunity to capture this crucial data will be in 2032, risking another decade of inadequate health data to plan effective programs and solutions.
They describe the decision as one which in the future, people will look back on this as a day of shame for a government that purports to support and value LGBTIQ+ people’s lives.
“Instead, they have let down a significant part of the Australian population, at great cost to our health.” the groups stated in a dual media release.
Greens MP Stephen Bates described the decision as a betrayal to LGBTIQA+ voters.
“Today, Anthony Albanese and Labor betrayed the LGBTIQA+ again and killed off including questions on sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex characteristics in the upcoming 2026 Census.” Bates posted to social media.
Equality Australia used the same descriptor – labeling the decision a betrayal.
“The federal government has betrayed LGBTIQ+ people around Australia who will again be rendered invisible in 2026 because the census won’t ask appropriate questions about who they are and how they live,” said Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown.
“Our communities will continue to feel invisible and demeaned because the federal government hasn’t taken this opportunity to finally reflect the diversity of Australia and gather crucial information about the kinds of services people need.”
In the last census, LGBTIQ+ people who were single, trans and gender diverse, intersex or living in notionally heterosexual relationships were not counted because the census did not include questions on gender identity, sexual orientation and variations in sex characteristics.
The ABS issued a statement of regret last year acknowledging the hurt and distress this caused some people, following a human rights complaint brought by Equality Australia and non-binary parent April Long.
The ABS also made a raft of commitments, including an LGBTIQ+ Expert Advisory Committee to advise on topics, questions, analysis and dissemination of data for the next census in 2026.
“It is staggering that after all that work, the statement of regret and the clear need for relevant data, the federal government has made the call not to proceed with new topics,” Brown said.
“Governments need reliable data to inform the delivery of vital services and make decisions about our future, and yet we still don’t know how many LGBTIQ+ people there are in Australia or where they live.”
