A "deflated" Victorian Mayor fears the census results for her small Murray River town may impact the availability of services in the community.
Robinvale's population rose to 3,740 in the 2021 census, a moderate rise from the 3,313 recorded in 2016.
But the town's real population may be closer to 8,000, according to an independent study funded by Swan Hill Rural Council that examined water consumption and anonymised bank and supermarket transactions.
To try and better reflect the region's population in the Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Jack Dang from Robinvale Network and Neighbourhood House helped raise awareness ahead of last year's census.
He said it was difficult to get accurate information in a region with a large multi-ethnic and seasonal worker population.
"A lot of people didn't realise that this is not an immigration headcount," he said.
"People think it is for immigration and say, 'I won't put my hand up', because a lot of people here are undocumented.
'A matter of public safety'
According to the ABS data, Robinvale's population has decreased in every census since 2006.
Swan Hill Mayor Jade Benham said it had a significant impact on the area.
"We've had banks, Mallee Family Care, TAFE, MADEC, Haven Home Safe, all these services pulling out of Robinvale at a rate of knots because of an alleged decrease in population," she said.
"It also means emergency services are under-resourced.
"We still don't have a 24-hour police station.
"For a town with 8,000 people, that to me is a matter of public safety.
"Unfortunately government agencies and bureaucracies … only listen to the ABS data."
Mallee Family Care said it was still offering several different services in Robinvale and had not "pulled out" of the area, although its standalone physical office closed several years ago.
Ms Benham said the timing of the census in August 2021 – during a lockdown and a quiet period for seasonal workers – may have contributed to the "disappointing" results.
"I was expecting closer to 5,000," she said.
"To see it only go up that fraction … you sort of feel like a deflated balloon to be honest.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics was contacted for comment.
'Any rise is a win'
Mr Dang said the small increase in the population data was a step in the right direction.
He said holding meetings with community members and relaying information in different languages was effective.
"I'll take it as a win — any rise is a win," he said.
"We'll be more proactive next time.
"We only started really hammering it around three months before, this time — so it's going to take a few more censuses before we get it right.
