Labor says sexuality questions dumped from census to avoid ‘divisive’ debates

Government decided not to add questions out of concern for social cohesion, Richard Marles insists, after move prompts upset in LGBTQ+ community

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The acting prime minister, Richard Marles, says the government decided not to add questions on sexuality to the 2026 census to avoid divisive" community debates.

Marles said the government had opted to take the existing set of questions to the next census rather than adding five new topics - including sexuality - as had been proposed, out of concern for social cohesion.

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