Australians for the first time can reveal their sexual orientation and whether they identify as a different gender than the one recorded at birth — contentious debut questions in the latest census that occurs every five years.

Also read | Australia’s census to include sexual orientation, gender questions for first time

The 66-question census, held on Tuesday (August 11, 2026) is the first under a center-left Labor Party government since 2011. The current Labor government backflipped to allow the questions after having dropped them temporarily two years ago as “divisive.” Both questions are open to members of households 16 years and older.

The answer options for sexual orientation are straight, gay or lesbian, bisexual, don’t know, prefer not to answer or a term of the respondent’s choice that can be written in a designated blank space.

The options for the gender that the respondent currently identifies with that differs from that registered at birth are man, woman, nonbinary, prefer not to answer or another term that the respondent can provide.

The gender and sexual orientation questions are optional, along with a question on religion that has been included since the first census in 1911.

Labor had promised such questions about sexuality and gender would be included in the next census while campaigning ahead of the 2022 elections that brought the party to power after nine years out of government.

The Australian government determines the topics for each census. The Australian Bureau of Statistics decides the wording of questions.

In 2024, the government decided against deviating from the 2021 census questions in the interests of maintaining social cohesion.

“We do not want to open up divisive debates in the community now,” Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said in August 2024.

The government soon relented after almost a week of backlash from LGBTQ+ advocates and criticism from some Labor lawmakers.

Two days after Mr. Marles spoke, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a heterosexual who has marched in the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras twice since he took office in 2022, confirmed in a radio interview that a question about sexual orientation would be included in the next census.

ABS Chief Statistician David Gruen said his bureau discovered a “substantial level of interest in asking questions on gender and sexual orientation” during public consultations ahead of the census.

“For a proportion of the population, … collecting this information is very important. But for other people, it’s information that they simply don’t want to share,” Mr. Gruen told the Australian Broadcasting Corp., referencing the decision to make the questions optional.

Liz Allen, an Australian National University demographer, said Australia lagged behind some like-minded countries in dealing with gender and sexual orientation in the census. Britain asked similar questions of its population in 2021, New Zealand in 2023 and Canada three months ago.

“We’ve been talking about these questions for some time, but the previous government, it didn’t look like they were going to budge on the evidence and enable it to be in the census. So the ABS [Australian Bureau of Statistics] really didn’t put it to them,” Ms. Allen said.

Ms. Allen said the questions need to go further into the issues of sexuality and gender by asking respondents if they were intersex a term for people born with biological sex characteristics such as chromosomes, hormones, or genitals that do not fit typical definitions of male or female.

The last U.S. census in 2020 allowed only two responses to its gender question: male or female. That census, which is held once a decade, did not specifically ask about sexual orientation. But same-sex relationships were for the first time allowed to be listed in the household relationship field.

People were asked to submit their census answers form as soon as they received their instructions in the mail if they knew where they would be on census night.

The ABS expects 85% of responses will be made online, up from almost 80% in 2021, when almost half the population was in pandemic lockdown. The ABS also provides paper census forms on request.

Field staff help homeless people and people living in remote areas participate. Failing to comply with a direction to complete the census can result in a fine of up to 364 Australian dollars ($257) a day.

The ABS said that by Monday (August 10, 2026), more than 3.6 million forms had been submitted. Almost 11 million forms are expected to be completed.

Published – August 11, 2026 08:43 am IST

A pool devoid of big teams is set to be highly competitive, while Germany and The Netherlands are overwhelming favourites to top their groups.

Group D (USA, Turkiye, Australia, Paraguay)

The USA team is chasing the American dream. Competing on home soil in the global competition for the first time since 1994, the national side, now led by Mauricio Pochettino, is locked in to Make America Great Again in ‘soccer’.

The World No. 16’s first task will be to get out of a tricky pool that consists of two other top-30 teams but none of the perennial powerhouses — Turkiye at 22 and Australia at 27.

The close win over Senegal and narrow defeat to Germany in World Cup warm-up games should have given Pochettino a fair idea of where the finishing touches to the preparation have to be applied.

Playing in front of jam-packed galleries could be both a boon and a bane. While stars like Christian Pulisic, who is no stranger to elite football, can live up to the heightened expectations, some may wilt under the enormity of the situation. How they tackle battles not only on the field but also off it will be crucial to USA’s chances.

For Turkiye and Australia, the focus will be much beyond spoiling the co-host’s carnival.

Having earned the right to perform on the global stage after 24 years, the European outfit cannot afford to pass up the golden opportunity.

The wait has been so long that Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz, two of the most exciting prospects in the current squad, were not even born when Turkiye last caught the World Cup fever. Something close to the fairytale run of 2002 — which ended in a third-place finish — will be required if Vincenzo Montella’s contingent is to make inroads.

Australia, a regular at the finals since 2006, is no pushover but is yet to win a knockout fixture. Meanwhile, Paraguay, the lowest-placed team in the group at World No. 40, will be itching to prove that rankings do not directly translate to results.

Best finish: USA: Semifinals (1930); Turkiye: Third place (2002); Australia: Round of 16 (2006, 2022); Paraguay: Quarterfinals (2010).

Group E (Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador)

Germany was forced to board the first available flight back home after being knocked out in the opening round of the last two editions. Ghosts from the past may resurface, especially for those who had endured the pain first-hand in Russia and/or Qatar, but the 2014 title-winner must avoid the ignominy of three early exits in a row without fuss.

The top-level experience in Julian Nagelsmann’s squad, recent form of four victories in as many matches since March and superior ranking (10) — the other teams in the pool are placed well below the European side — provide the Germans the head start in the race to top the group.

The four-time World champion should, however, be eyeing bigger things. That Germany has flown under the radar in discussions pertaining to title contenders may free up the additional baggage it has usually carried. But it has catching up to do in the overall scheme of things.

First up for Germany is Curacao, the smallest nation (both in terms of population and land area) ever to qualify for football’s biggest spectacle. Adding intrigue, only one player in the 26-member squad — Tahith Chong — was born in the Caribbean island, yet the place of birth hardly matters within the group because “you are accepted into the family once you come here.”

Curacao is home to Dick Advocaat, the 78-year-old who is poised to become the oldest coach at the quadrennial event. The 82nd-ranked outfit will have to punch well above its weight in the Americas to inscribe its name in the history books once again.

As for Ivory Coast, which is back in the World Cup fold after 12 years, it has not got to this point “to make up the numbers or go sightseeing.” The African country is likely to be involved in a tussle with Ecuador for the second automatic qualification spot.

Best finish: Germany: Champion (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014); Curacao: Debut; Ivory Coast: Group stage (2006-2014); Ecuador: Round of 16 (2006).

Group F (Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia)

Come hell or high water, The Netherlands has guaranteed itself knockout football in every edition it has competed in since 1974. And it looks well placed to extend that streak under Ronald Koeman, who had donned the Oranje as a player in 1990 and 1994.

The Netherlands, the highest-ranked team in the pool at World No. 7, was sounded a warning in the recent 0-1 defeat to Algeria in a pre-tournament friendly. But the Dutch side is too good to not pass the preliminary test, with Japan being the closest challenger for the top spot.

It has the resources to even be fourth time lucky — it had finished runner-up in 1974, 1978 and 2010 — but consistently rising to the occasion against the ‘favourites’ will be vital.

Although not among the ‘big boys’, Japan cannot be ignored.

The Asian nation came agonisingly close to qualifying for the quarterfinals in 2018 and took centre stage four years later when it topped the group that included Spain and Germany.

So, not many eyebrows were raised after England great David Beckham termed Japan as a potential “surprise” package to upset the apple cart. “It has a really strong team… it could be kind of a secret,” Beckham told ABC News recently.

While Japan will miss the injured Kaoru Mitoma’s box of tricks in the final third, it has the experience and variety to crack complex codes. Hajime Moriyasu’s men may first have to overcome the Swedish challenge to secure a direct ticket to the eliminators.

Despite having a bumpy ride in the lead-up to the World Cup, Sweden possesses the dash of enviable quality that is required to get through to the next phase. With regards to Tunisia, it should play out of its skin to even stand a chance of making the cut for the first time.

Best finish: Netherlands: Runner-up (1974, 1978, 2010); Japan: Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022); Sweden: Runner-up (1958); Tunisia: Group stage (1978, 1998-2006, 2018, 2022).

Sjoerd Marijne, the Indian women’s hockey coach, with the team during the recent tour of Argentina.
| Photo Credit: x@thehockeyindia

Kolkata Knight Riders player Cameron Green in action during the Indian Premier League 2026 Twenty20 cricket match against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on May 08, 2026.
| Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP