Make it count on census night

The 2011 Census takes place across Australia on the evening of Tuesday, August 9.

From July 29, Census collectors will hit the streets to deliver 14.2 million Census forms to 9.8 million households. Census supervisors have been visiting all hotels, motels and short-term accommodation establishments across Australia to coordinate the delivery and collection of Census forms for those staying in these venues on Census night.

Those staying at caravan parks or campsites can collect Census Packs from special Census collectors at Tourist Information Centres or recognised truck stops on August 9.

Debate is growing in some sectors about the nature of questions on the Census form. Organisation Intersex International Australia has campaigned for some time for the Australian Bureau of Statistics to provide
options other than male or female as sex designators.

Earlier this year, the Atheist Foundation of Australia (AFA) erected billboards in Sydney and Melbourne urging Australians to mark ‘No religion’ on their forms.

AFA president David Nicholls said he hoped the signs would help the public think about how they answered the question about religious affiliation.

“The question ‘What is the person’s religion?’ is a leading one and it could sway people to mark their religion of baptism or early youth and not their present stance, which may be devoid of any faith,” Nicholls said.

“This can cause a distortion of Census statistics whereby religious people appear to be more numerous in society than they really are.”