Aug 29, 2024 – The federal government iseffectively denying the right of LGBTIQ+ people to be counted and repeating the mistakes of the former Morrison government, says national LGBTIQ+ group Equality Australia.
Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles on Wednesday said the government had decided not to proceed with questions that would capture LGBTIQ+ people in the 2026 Census because it was concerned about social cohesion and wanted to avoid a divisive debate.
The same reason was given earlier this month for abandoning reforms that would protect students and staff in religious schools.
“Why must LGBTIQ+ communities wear the fall-out of ‘divisive community debates’ when the topic of conversation is not only our legal protections but also our lives and right to exist,” Anna Brown CEO of Equality Australia said.
“What the government is saying to us is that we are not worth having the hard conversations for, and they are dumping us in the too hard basket.”
Ms Brown said it was “the government’s job to govern for all Australians” and its decision underestimated the Australian public.
“The notion that acknowledging the existence of LGBTIQ+ Australians in the census would be a threat to social cohesion is, frankly, absurd,” she said.
“And it is insulting to all Australians to think that they would be in some way angered or divided by such a basic acknowledgement of fact.”
Equality Australia made a human rights complaint against the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the former federal government after the 2021 census failed to properly count LGBTIQ+ people.
“The reasons for considering legal action are the same today as they were in 2021, when we filed a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission alleging several breaches of the Sex Discrimination Act,” she said.
“Our legal action was followed by a statement of regret from the ABS last year for the hurt and harm caused when the census failed to properly count our communities in 2021.
“By blocking these vital census questions, the government is effectively denying the right of LGBTIQ+ people to be counted and repeating the mistakes of the former Morrison government.
“Governments cannot plan for services and make decisions about our futures when there is no accurate data on where we live, what our jobs are, our health issues, where we go to school and what our families look like.”
Media contact: Tara Ravens 0408 898 154, tara.ravens@equalityaustralia.org.au
