Dr. Karinna Saxby joins guest host Ben Harrington on Future Perfect to shed light on the Albanese Government’s sudden reversal to include questions on sexuality and gender in the 2026 Census.

The decision, initially leaked last weekend, stirred outrage among the LGBTIQA+ community after it was revealed that these topics would be excluded.

Dr. Saxby, who has researched the impacts of the 2021 Census’ exclusion of LGBTIQA+ data, emphasised how critical this information is. Not having this data contributes to the erasure of the community itself and hinders targeted services, health projections, and funding. Accurate data is essential to inform policies that address health inequalities within the LGBTIQA+ community.

The backflip comes amid criticism that Labor is failing to deliver on promises to protect LGBTIQA+ rights. While the government announced a 10-year action plan to address health disparities in the community, many argue that this Census question was long overdue.

"New Zealand has successfully done this, and it’s worked in other countries. We need to add this to our Census and get with the times."

Photo Credit: Creative Commons via RDR