Excluding LGBTI+ questions from the 2026 census would put these Australians at greater risk of "marginalisation and disadvantage", multiple leading health and research organisations have said.

Eight major health bodies, including the Australian Human Rights Institute and the University of NSW's Kirby Institute, have now called on the federal government to include questions on gender and sexual orientation in the next census.

The federal government last month quietly confirmed it would not include drafted questions, despite it forming part of Labor's national platform.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government had told the Australian Bureau of Statistics to cancel testing of the new census questions because they "weren't appropriate".

On Wednesday, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government would take "collective responsibility" for the disappointment caused by the questions not being included.

Now, multiple health bodies have issued a joint statement warning of the potential harm caused by removing the questions.

You can read their joint statement in full here.

'Invisible' populations left at 'increased risk' by census exclusion

They said the questions had already "undergone rigorous testing" and the decision to not include any of them was "not sufficient".

They added inclusion was "crucial" to providing equal public health access.

"The omission of comprehensive data collection on sex, gender, and innate variations of sex characteristics … will undermine our ability to understand the health needs and socio-economic wellbeing of LGBTI+ populations.

"Historical erasure and under-representation in data underscores the urgent need for an accurate reflection of population diversity.

"We call on our leaders to be clear and bold in ensuring no one is overlooked due to data gaps."

The government has offered multiple explanations since last week for why it told the ABS to not proceed with testing.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Treasurer Jim Chalmers have both said it was to avoid a "divisive" debate that could be weaponised against the LGBTI+ community.

However, Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth on Sunday implied the questions were "very complex".

More testing was to begin this week, which Mr Albanese confirmed the government had stopped.

"Quite clearly, what there should be is common-sense questions asked that are quite easily understood," he said.

"The ABS were going to go out and test some questions on Monday … that's why we put a pause on that so that we could consider appropriate questions that were easily understood by people when they get the census.

"My government values every Australian, regardless of who they are, regardless of their sexuality, their race, their faith, their gender: we value every single Australian."

Dr Bridget Haire, a senior research fellow at the Kirby Institute and the UNSW's School of Population Health, has been working with the ABS since 2019 to draft the questions.

She noted the questions planned for the census had already been used in at least six ABS surveys previously.

"It's really sad that this has been politicised in this way, because it should just be about the data," she said.

"Around 85,000 Australians have already answered these questions. Very, very similar questions from the ABS standard have been used in a range of population surveys so far.

"The ABS has been very, very committed to a highly collaborative process with all of the relevant community groups and all of the relevant researchers … they have been robust."

Asked whether there was any merit to the idea the questions were "too complicated" for Australians, she said she believed they were clearly understood.

"It's really sad to see trans and gender-diverse people, and people living with variations of sex characteristics, basically being thrown under the bus, treated like they don't matter to avoid [that].

"I think if the government had just stood by the fact that they had conducted this very robust, consultative, collaborative process to get the right set of questions [needed] to do the work that we need to do … this just would have gone away."

Data needed to assess 'scope of the health crises'

Dr Andy Kaladelfos, a senior lecturer in Criminology at UNSW and a co-convener of the Gendered Violence Research Network, said trans and gender-diverse people were also at heightened risk of "gender-based violence, sexual violence, hate crimes and other forms of violence".

"We need accurate data to be able to develop prevention and support programs for the whole community, but particularly [for] gender-diverse people," they said.

"At the moment we don't have any benchmarks to understand … the base-level population data.

"For us to actually have an accurate understanding of the populations that we're talking about, their social experiences and their experiences of the health system, [that is] the most basic point of devising any kind of research or policy or support.

Multiple LGBTI+ groups have also spoken out amid the ongoing controversy.

The chief executive of the Australian Professional Association for Trans Health, Eloise Brook, said it was "the only common-sense solution" to include transgender Australians in the census.

"Without that data, our emergency rooms will continue to replace our GP offices as the place of primary care for trans people.

"As a direct result of not knowing, state health departments will continue to spend tens of millions of dollars every year on preventable and manageable health solutions."

LGBTIQ+ Health Australia's chief executive, Nicky Bath, denied suggestions the questions were not simple enough for Australians to answer.

"The questions that are under consideration are not complicated and are based on the current best practice for asking questions on gender, sexual orientation and innate variations of sex characteristics," she said.

"As the prime minister has said, it is critical that the ABS be allowed to do its job.

"The ABS must get the 2026 census back on track and proceed as planned with all three topic areas being tested."

The joint statement in full

The statement has been signed by UNSW'S Kirby Institute, the Centre for Sex and Gender in Health and Medical Research, the Centre for Social Research in Health, the Social Policy Research Centre, the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, the Australian Human Rights Institute, UNSW's Community of Practice for Inclusive Research for Queer and Trans People, and People with variations of sex characteristics (Intersex), and UNSW's School of Population Health.

The role of the Census is to provide a comprehensive snapshot of the makeup of the Australian community. These data are critical for informing a wide range of programs, including those related to health. When populations are invisible in the Census, they are at increased risk of marginalisation and disadvantage.

We write as representatives of health research institutes with a strong focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex (LGBTI+) health, advocating for the inclusion of comprehensive demographic questions on sex, gender, innate variations of sex characteristics, and sexual orientation in the 2026 Census.

These questions were developed through an extensive process of consultation in collaboration with national representatives from affected communities and research institutions with expertise in LGBTI+ research. These are not new inquiries but are derived from established standards, having undergone rigorous testing to ensure they are both effective and reliable. While the Government rescinded its decision last week to drop these questions completely, the new proposal to include a single new question on sexual orientation is not sufficient.

An extensive body of research shows that both sexual orientation and gender diversity are strong predictors of specific adverse health outcomes. People with innate variations of sex characteristics also experience significant health disadvantages but are not visible in standardised and national datasets. The omission of comprehensive data collection on sex, gender, and innate variations of sex characteristics in the 2026 Census will undermine our ability to understand the health needs and socio-economic wellbeing of LGBTI+ populations.

Accurate and inclusive approaches to data collection are essential for addressing health disparities among gender and sexuality diverse populations, and among people with innate variations of sex characteristics. As researchers working with LGBTI+ populations, we often rely on data from smaller, targeted studies which are not always representative of the broader community. This limitation can lead to information gaps that impact our understanding and ability to address the specific health needs of these populations effectively. Inclusion in data collection promotes a broader understanding and acceptance of population diversity, normalising discussions about bodies, identity, and health, which are vital for addressing ongoing social challenges.

Historical erasure and underrepresentation in data underscore the urgent need for an accurate reflection of population diversity. Including these questions in the 2026 Census is crucial to fulfilling Australia's commitment to equitable public health and to enhancing our national data infrastructure. This enhancement will enable precise health interventions that cater to everyone.

We call on our leaders to be clear and bold in ensuring no one is overlooked due to data gaps.