The ABS calls for content submissions
Hello again fellow change makers,
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has just published a press release, calling upon people across the country to have a say about what information will be collected in the 2026 Census.
Hooray! So now what?
The first step is to navigate to the bureau's consultation hub, and submit the information you want to be included. Submissions are being taken until 28 April 2023. In 2024, the ABS will make a recommendation to the Australian Government on the topics that could be included in the next Census.
The next step is to continue sharing this petition. Whilst it is fantastic that the ABS has noticed that not everyone is happy with the scope of questions asked and is looking to address it, it is still a far cry short of a guarantee that questions about the LGBTIQA community will actually be included. Remember, several NGO's petitioned the ABS prior to the 2021 Census to have LGBTIQA questions asked. These were never included because the legislation does not mandate their collection. This petition is about changing the law to ensure that the questions are asked.
In the near future, an official petition not dissimilar to this petition will likely be accepting signatures before the House of Representatives. This will only be open for four weeks, and is only available to Australian Citizens. I will share more information about this once it becomes available. It is important that we all sign that petition too when it becomes available, because unlike this petition, that petition is mandated by law to be considered by parliament.
Whilst I am immensely grateful to everyone who has signed and supported this petition to date and am thrilled to here about this move from the ABS, this is in no way "Mission Accomplished". We still have a long way to go. You are all part of something important here, so be proud! Your ongoing support through this process is invaluable, so never underestimate how important just one signature can be.
Stay awesome.
Regards, Evalyn