Statement on LGBTQIA+ Inclusion in the 2026 Census
As an organisation that serves as a community hub for LGBTQIA+ individuals in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine), QueersInScience commends the government’s decision to take this first step in the right direction to include at least part of the LGBTQIA+ community in the 2026 census. This is a pivotal step towards acknowledging and addressing the unique challenges faced by our community. However, restricting this to a single question on sexuality omits a critical need to collect accurate information on gender identity and intersex status, which were also sorely omitted from past censuses. It is therefore critical that further steps are taken towards the collection of comprehensive LGBTQIA+ data.
It is vital to recognise that data and mathematics are not neutral tools; they wield significant power. As scientists, we know that evidence-based policy is at the heart of sound decision-making. Omitting LGBTQIA+ peoples identities, families and lives from data makes it difficult to address disparities in quality of life that they experience. The data we have shows LGBTQIA+ people experience poorer physical and mental health outcomes than the broader general population, not as a result of being LGBTQIA+ but as a result of discrimination, and that targeted interventions are needed for alleviating these disparities. Excluding these data hides the extent of inequity and makes targeting interventions impossible. The outcome is inefficient public spending and greater disparity for LGBTQIA+ people. Policy guided by science and evidence requires high quality data which reflect the lives of all Australians, including LGBTQIA+ individuals.
We already have the tools. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) explicitly states on About The Census web page that the census data represents a “snapshot of the country”, “includes everybody in the population”, and that it “reflects the diversity of Australia”. In 2020, the ABS set their Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables, which provides the latest best practice in line with legislation, demonstrating that steps towards positive change and inclusive representation in Australian datasets can be taken. Data that ignores diverse LGBTQIA+ identities cannot represent all of Australia. This omission amounts to purposeful underrepresentation which leads to poorer outcomes for our community.
The exclusion of LGBTQIA+ people from the census signals a lack of sufficient LGBTQIA+ representation in decision making. LGBTQIA+ individuals are already pressured to diminish themselves for the comfort of others. Exclusion from the census amplifies the pressure to “be invisible” and stay hidden from view, and does not foster a future in which everyone is valued. Excluding our community from being fully counted in society and public life perpetuates the dehumanisation and recurring exclusion of LGBTQIA+ Australians.
This is not a matter of so-called “identity politics”; it is about the fundamental right to be recognised as equal citizens. LGBTQIA+ people contribute immeasurably to Australian science, art, culture and society as a whole, and they deserve to be recognised in the same way as their fellow citizens—without public debate over the legitimacy of their lives and families. It is a human right to live openly and to have an equal opportunity to participate in Australian society, proudly, without fear of discrimination or of having our inclusion in the nation’s fabric subjected to constant scrutiny. In truth, we simply wish to live our lives, contributing to our families, friends, communities, colleagues, and society as best we can.
Asking for the same recognition and rights as our fellow citizens is neither new nor radical. By not collecting this information, we risk building a society that ignores the science and evidence that should guide us, instead yielding to the destructive politicisation of LGBTQIA+ identities under the guise of social cohesion. The question must be asked: Who benefits from excluding these data, and why are politicians using anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiment as a reason to determine the format of a statistical endeavour designed to shape the future of everybody in the population?
The answer is clear: The future of the Australian census must include all LGBTQIA+ people, their communities, and their families.
QueersInScience