Prime Minister says sexuality question will be tested for 2026 census
Australians are set to be asked about their sexuality for the for time in the next census. The Prime Minister overturned an earlier decision after backlash from Labor MP's but advocates are worried it could still exclude some gender-diverse people.
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00:00Standing side-by-side with a community the Prime Minister has long supported.
00:07After facing their anger over a decision to exclude them from the next Census.
00:13Until questions on gender identity and intersex people are included, the Census won't include all Australians.
00:20After promising to include questions on sexuality and gender identity in the five-year national snapshot, this week a different tune.
00:29We do not want to open up divisive debates in the community now.
00:35Instead creating division within Labor's own ranks, with several MPs urging the government to reconsider.
00:42We know that LGBTIQ Australians have, for example, higher rates of suicide than the general population and that makes this data even more important.
00:53And forcing Anthony Albanese's hand.
00:56There will be a question in the Census if it is successfully tested by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
01:07That question will be about sexuality, but advocates say it's still unclear whether gender identity will also be included.
01:15We absolutely want to ensure that all LGBTIQ people are included.
01:20The Greens are promising to bring a vote to Parliament to include those questions.
01:24Whatever changes Labor proposes now, it's too late.
01:27The opposition leader indicating he's open to including a new question, after a change of tone.
01:33If you've got the woke agenda, which I think is at odds with the vast majority of Australians, then the Prime Minister should argue that case.
01:40What is the opposition on LGBTIQ members of Australia being counted in the Census though?
01:44Well, I'm fine with that if the Prime Minister's got a proposal.
01:47This is the second issue in recent weeks which has prompted members of Labor's own caucus to speak out against the government's position.
01:54The speed at which the Prime Minister was forced to issue this back down shows how delicate it is, only months away from the next federal election.