This year’s Census represents a pretty significant change for Australia’s trans, gender-diverse and non-binary
communities.
For the first time, Australians aged 16 and over will be asked about their gender, alongside a separate question
about sex recorded at birth.
We’re joined by Michelle McNamara and Son Vivienne from Transgender Victoria
Transgender Victoria has spent years advocating for this change, arguing that if communities aren’t counted,
governments can’t properly plan for them.
But there are plenty of questions: Do you actually have to answer the gender question? Why are there two
questions? What happens if you’re not out at home? And how private is the information?
The 2026 Australian Census is the first Census in which people aged 16 and over will be asked first
about their sex as recorded at birth, and then their Gender.
Transgender Victoria says comparing the answers to those two questions is the method the Australian
Bureau of Statistics considers most accurate for counting trans and gender-diverse people.
While the Census is compulsory, answering the gender and sexual orientation questions is a choice.
TGV encourages trans and gender-diverse people to answer accurately so that TGD communities are
properly represented in the national data.
The ABS developed the approach in consultation with community organisations, including
Transgender Victoria, and has been using the methodology for five years.
TGV says information about sex recorded at birth can help with planning the healthcare some trans
and gender-diverse people need, such as access to hormones and cancer screening
It can also allow data such as the gender pay gap to be examined according to both sex recorded at
birth and current gender.
It is possible to request one’s own census form for people who are not out at home yet, by either
calling the ABS or completing a form through MyGov.
TGV supports the new gender question but explicitly acknowledges that people with variations of sex
characteristics aren’t specifically counted through a dedicated Census question.
That said, Q9, which is about Gender, allows the respondent to select either ;non-binary ; or another
term and write in a descriptor that fits.
The Census asks for your legal name, rather than the name you go by.
According to the ABS Census Privacy Statement referenced by TGV, responses to Q8 and Q9 are
stored separately from a person’s name and address.
TGV highlights the difference between the number of trans and gender-diverse people counted in the
2021 Census — around 50,000 — and estimates of more than 200,000 TGD people in Australia.
The 2026 Census is intended to produce much better data because gender will now be asked directly
of everyone aged 16 and over.
www.tgv.org.au
The post Saturday, 8th August, 2026: Michelle McNamara (she/her); Son Vivienne (they/them);Transgender Victoria; Census 2026. appeared first on Saturday Magazine.
