Many people have recently received a Census letter. First, a reminder: completing it is compulsory whether or not you are an Australian permanent resident. In recent days, many people have asked me how to answer particular questions, especially because they fear the answers could affect a visa or migration application. I will address these concerns directly.
A common Census question in the Chinese community: how should a de facto relationship be recorded? (Hero image)
Many clients have asked me: I am currently in a de facto relationship, but there is no de facto option among the choices. Which one should I select?
The choices are married, divorced, separated but not divorced, or never married.
In this situation, simply select Never Married.
Although we should answer Census questions as accurately and truthfully as possible, there is no need to struggle with this point because there genuinely is no de facto option.
Will residential addresses from the past five years be cross-checked by the Department of Home Affairs?
The Census also asks about residential addresses over the past five years and current employment. Some people have asked whether this information will be cross-checked with the Department—for example, against residential address information for a Subclass 491 visa.
The answer is no. If you can provide accurate information, make every effort to answer truthfully and precisely.
The key question: will ABS Census data be shared with the Department of Home Affairs?
You can be 100% reassured: it will not! Australia’s Census is conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (Image 2), which has extremely strict data-privacy requirements. In principle, all this data can only be used, processed and shared within the ABS and cannot be shared across agencies. The purpose of the Census is to support better government planning and administration. If another department needs data, the ABS will remove all sensitive personal information and provide only aggregated data or conclusions to other planning agencies.
There is therefore no need to worry that form information such as your name and date of birth will be aggregated and shared with the Department to be referenced or compared against your migration or visa application. We recommend answering as truthfully and accurately as possible.
