‘We know there is still work to do’: ABS admits to regional census blunder
The Australian Bureau of Statistics says it is aware of a census stuff-up that left some Queenslanders without their required paperwork and worried they’ll be fined up to $364 a day.
Maranoa MP David Littleproud said his electorate offices have been inundated with complaints from Tuesday night from locals who said they received no paperwork or online instructions for the national survey.
Queenslanders who received nothing in the mail from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) are demanding guarantees they won’t be fined for missing the census. Supplied
The reports came from across the Outback Queensland electorate, including Roma, Longreach, Charleville, Cunnamulla, Eulo, Yowah, and Ilfracombe.
In a statement to nine.com.au, the ABS said it was aware of households that hadn’t received the required documents.
“ABS staff are working hard in communities across Australia to ensure everyone in the country is counted,” a spokesperson said.
“We know there is still work to do … to those [impacted] households, we say there is still time to complete your census, and we’re here to help.”
Paper forms were supposed to be delivered to regional and remote areas or made available upon request, even as the ABS shifted to a digital-first census, expecting most households to complete it online.
However, many residents say they didn’t even receive an instruction letter.
“These aren’t isolated cases, they’re entire communities that have been forgotten,” Littleproud said.
Paroo Shire Mayor Suzette Beresford, whose council was caught up in the bungle, said local frustrations were compounded by misleading messaging.
“It did not help that TV and newspaper advertisements about the census showed a person filling in a paper form,” Beresford told nine.com.au.
Paroo Shire Mayor Suzette Beresford (centre) said local frustrations were compounded by misleading messaging. Supplied
“There was insufficient information given that the ABS expected the census to be completed online and that a paper form had to be applied for.”
Beresford said that residents who tried to request paper forms faced 40-minute wait times on the ABS helpline.
In Yowah – an opal-mining town 949 kilometres west of Brisbane – locals were left completely stranded without internet or forms.
“There are numerous residences within the four Paroo Shire towns of Cunnamulla, Eulo, Wyandra, and Yowah that do not have internet,” Beresford said.
Local leaders also fear the bungle could compromise crucial regional data used to allocate government funding and services.
Littleproud echoed these concerns, saying the digital-first model ignored the realities of life in outback Australia.
“Many of my constituents aren’t computer-literate, and many simply don’t have the internet access or mobile coverage to complete an online census, even if they wanted to,” the former Nationals leader said.
While the census is compulsory, missing census night does not automatically mean an immediate fine. The ABS first contacts households that have not completed the form to issue reminders.
If a household still fails to respond, the ABS can issue a formal legal direction. Ignoring that direction is an offence under the Census and Statistics Act 1905, carrying potential fines of up to $364 per day.
Littleproud has written to Andrew Leigh, asking for assurances that residents who didn’t receive census forms won’t be fined. Alex Ellinghausen
Littleproud has written to the Assistant Productivity and Treasury Minister Andrew Leigh seeking confirmation that residents left without forms won’t be fined.
“No family, farmer, or older Australian should be penalised for a mess that belongs entirely to the Bureau of Statistics,” Littleproud said.
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