The Australian Federal Government's hypocritical decision to exclude questions about LGBTQIASB+ Australians from the 2026 census contradicts its commitment to “include LGBTIQ+ Australians in the consultation and planning process for the 2026 Census; and… ensure that the 2026 Census gathers relevant data on LGBTIQ+ Australians”. Omitting these questions will harm LGBTQIASB+ health outcomes by preventing the collection of contemporary data needed to address current disparities that exist for people of diverse sexualities, genders, and variations in sex characteristics until the 2032 Census.

“If you won’t even count us, how can you say that we count? For LGBTQIASB+ communities, having data which indicate who we are and where we are is crucial to support our claims of what services we need and in what magnitude, and to drive change that could build the services we are lacking,” says Stella, The Australian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA) Queer Chair. 

“By ignoring our inclusion in the 2026 census – despite ample evidence exemplifying why such inclusion is vital – this massive opportunity to improve our health outcomes is being destroyed, and this neglect will result in years of adverse impacts.”

AMSA Queer believes the government must collect this data to quantify the size of the LGBTQIASB+ populations across Australia. Omitting this community perpetuates erasure and overtly discriminates LGBTQIASB+ people. 

Data is a primary tool informing public health policies designed and implemented by the government, not-for-profit organisations and advocacy teams to target the biopsychosocial needs of populations. Without a known number of LGBTQIASB+ Australians impacted by disparities, it will remain easy to sweep the necessity of queer, intersex, and gender diverse health research under the rug.

The census is an efficient, comprehensive, and well-established method of data collection. Collecting census data on LGBTQIASB+ experiences will improve accessibility of services to these communities and therefore their overall health outcomes.

Equality Australia has created a petition calling on the Australian Bureau of Statistics to count LGBTQIASB+ Australians in the Census. AMSA Queer encourages everyone – especially those who work and study in the health field – to sign, and emphasise the importance of LGBTQIASB+ inclusion in data collection to the Federal Government.