Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles announced that the upcoming 2026 census will not include questions on sexuality and gender in order to avoid divisive debates, stirring significant controversy among LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and politicians.
Last year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics acknowledged the hurt felt by LGBTQ+ individuals due to the absence of identity-related questions in the 2021 census, leading them to feel invisible and excluded from national data.
Despite initial plans and consultations suggesting their inclusion, the government decided to revert to the questions from the last census, prioritizing the collection of useful data over potentially polarizing discussions.
Marles emphasized the decision was influenced by the desire to spare the community from divisive debates, stating, 'We've seen how divisive debates have played out across our country and the last thing we want to do is inflict that debate on a sector of our community right now.'
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