The ACT's Chief Minister has hit out at the federal government's decision to abandon a plan to add questions on gender identity and sexual orientation in the 2026 census.
Andrew Barr said the territory government had been advocating for better data collection on LGBTIQA+ communities and would work to improve ACT data in the absence of census data.
But the federal government backflipped on its decision to exclude questions on sexuality on Friday morning. Questions will now be included in the next census.
Mr Barr said the ACT government was working with the University of Canberra, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and other partners on collecting wellbeing data on Canberrans with diverse sexuality, sex and gender.
He said further work would be done now, including a biennial ACT LGBTIQA+ communities survey and changes to the government's YourSay panel.
"Many Canberrans belong to multiple groups, such as LGBTIQA+, culturally and linguistically diverse or people with disability," Mr Barr said.
"These intersecting experiences influence how people experience systems and services, and may mean the need to improve understanding and take targeted approaches to help individuals meet their daily needs, improve wellbeing, access services, or feel safe in the community."
Mr Barr said the government would also strengthen and expand the Safe Schools program to both collect data and offer support to LGBTIQA+ children, young people and their families.
About one in 10 Australians identify as being lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or gender diverse, the federal health department estimated in 2019.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers doubled down on the government's decision, saying the government wanted to "avoid some of the nastiness ... in the lead up to the census".
"The census is still a couple of years away and our focus has been on other things, including the cost of living," he told ABC radio on Thursday.
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With AAP
