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The 2026 Census introduces new gender and sexual orientation questions and updates several existing topics to reflect Australia’s changing population. For fast-growing Wyndham, the expanded data will support planning for schools, roads, health services and local infrastructure.
Census to Receive Major Change
The 2026 Census introduces two major new national questions for people aged 16 and over: gender and sexual orientation.
These additions follow a detailed review, national testing and updated regulations, marking the first time this information will be collected consistently across all suburbs, including fast-growing areas like Tarneit, Truganina, Wyndham Vale and Point Cook.
For a municipality experiencing rapid population shifts, the data is expected to give a more complete picture of who lives in Wyndham and how local services may need to adapt.
The gender question will sit alongside the existing sex recorded at birth question, allowing respondents to report their gender identity through tick-box options or a free-text field.
The sexual orientation question allows people to identify their sexuality or attraction, also with both fixed responses and an option to specify another term. Both questions include a prefer-not-to-answer option.
National testing showed broad understanding and reliable response patterns across different regions and groups.
Alongside the new topics, several existing questions have been updated.
Respondents can now list up to four ancestries, the third response option for sex recorded at birth has been strengthened, and wording around parents’ country of birth has been revised for clarity.
The question about how many children a woman has given birth to will not appear in the 2026 Census, returning instead to its once-per-decade cycle.
The Census remains the largest data collection conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, with results heavily influencing planning, funding and service delivery.
In a fast-expanding municipality like Wyndham, Census data guides decisions about schools, hospitals, aged care, childcare places, roads and community infrastructure.
Its value lies in capturing consistent information across every household, allowing small-area insights that other surveys cannot provide.
Data from the 2026 Census will be released in three phases from June 2027. The ABS is also updating its tools: QuickStats and TableBuilder will be enhanced, Community Profiles will be phased out, and a new platform called ABS Data Maps will replace older spatial products.
These updates are intended to make it easier for councils, developers and community groups to access suburb-level insights as Wyndham continues to grow at one of the fastest rates in the country.
