MPs and senators would check every Census
The Census is a count of every person and home in Australia. It counts about 28 million people every five years. But no group in Parliament checks all of it. This private bill, which did not come from the government, would create one. It would start with the 2026 Census.
Official name: Census and Statistics Amendment (Parliamentary Oversight of the Census) Bill 2026
- A new group of 11 MPs and senators would watch over every Census.
- It would keep an eye on Census plans, like which questions get asked and why.
- After each Census, the head of the statistics bureau, the agency that runs the Census, would have to publish a full review within 6 months.
- The group would have to look into each Census and report to Parliament within 18 months of Census day.
- Senator Dean Smith brought it into the Senate, Parliament's second house, on 12 October 2026.
Who it affects
- Everyone who fills in the Census: Parliament would check how the Census was run. A public report on it would go online.
- The Australian Bureau of Statistics: Its head would have to write and publish a full review of each Census within 6 months of Census day.
- MPs and senators: Eleven of them would sit on a new group that must look into every Census.
- Councils, planners and businesses that use Census data: They could read a public review of how right and how complete each Census was.
No committee reviews the Census
Every five years, Australia runs a Census. It tries to count every person and every home in the country on one night. That is about 28 million people and 10 million homes.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics runs it. This is the government agency that collects the country's numbers. We will call it the statistics bureau. It runs the Census under a law called the Census and Statistics Act 1905.
The senator's notes on the bill say the Census is the second biggest job of moving people and things that the Australian Government does.
Census data helps decide where schools, hospitals, roads and other services go. It is also used to share out money from the goods and services tax (GST) between the states.
The Australian Electoral Commission runs federal elections. It uses Census data when it redraws the lines between voting areas.
The notes say Parliament does not formally check every part of how the Census is run and what it produces. This bill would change that.
It would copy the way a group of MPs and senators already checks each federal election.
Who brought the bill
This is a private bill. That means the government did not bring it in.
Senator Dean Smith brought it into the Senate, Parliament's second house, on 12 October 2026.
A new Census committee
The bill would add a new part to the Census law. It would create the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Census. This is a group with members from both the Senate and the House of Representatives. We will call it the Census group.
The group would be set up as soon as possible after the law starts. A new one would be set up at the start of each new Parliament.
It would have 11 members. Five would be senators and 6 would be members of the House.
The government would pick 2 of the senators. The main party not in government would pick 2. Small parties or people not in any party would pick the fifth.
In the House, the government would pick 4 members. The other 2 would come from the main party not in government, small parties, or MPs not in any party.
Ministers could not be members. Nor could the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House, who run each house.
The leader of the group would be someone the government picked. The deputy, or second in charge, would come from the main party not in government, a small party, or someone not in any party.
Both houses of Parliament would decide anything the law does not say about how the group works.
What the committee does
The group would have four jobs. It would watch over plans for each Census. It would look into every Census after it happens. It would look into any Census question that either house or the minister sends it.
Its fourth job would be to read the Census parts of the statistics bureau's yearly report. It would then report to Parliament on them.
Checking plans before a Census
Before each Census, the group could look at which topics will be asked about. It could look at how questions and forms are designed and tested.
It could also ask why the statistics bureau wants to collect certain facts. That includes what the facts will be used for. It also includes whether this has been explained well to the public.
The group could check if the statistics bureau is ready to run the Census. That covers staff, computer systems, safety from online attacks and privacy. It also covers messages to the public, and how easy it is for people to take part.
The notes say this job is to advise and report. The group would have no power to approve or block Census plans.
Public review after each Census
After each Census, the head of the statistics bureau would have to write a full review of how it went. This person is called the Australian Statistician.
The review would have to cover planning and how the Census was run. It would cover how Census workers were found, trained and used. It would cover how well the computer systems worked and how safe they were from online attacks.
It would also cover how right and how complete the data is. That includes how many people filled it in. It also includes whether some people were missed or counted twice.
It would cover privacy and messages to the public. It would cover how easy it was for people with disability or other needs to take part. It would also cover the lessons from any checks or other reviews.
The Census group, or either house of Parliament, could add another topic for the review. They would have to ask within 3 months of Census day.
The Statistician would have to give the review to the minister and the Census group within 6 months of Census day. The minister would then share it with each house within 3 days that Parliament sits. The statistics bureau would also post it on its website.
Keeping personal details safe
The review could not show Census answers in a way that would likely point to a person or a group.
The Statistician could leave out details that would put Census systems or data at risk.
Say the review found a weak spot in a computer system. The public version would say something was left out, and describe it in general terms. The Census group would get the full details in a private extra report.
Inquiry after each Census
The Census group would have to start looking into each Census within 6 months of Census day. It could start before it gets the Statistician's review.
It would look at the review, and at how well each part of the Census worked. It would also look at anything else the group thinks matters.
The group would have to report to both houses within 18 months of Census day. Both houses could agree to give it up to 6 more months. It could also hand in early reports along the way.
If the group is set up late, it would start at its first meeting. It would then have 12 months to report.
An election would not end the work. The time between an election being called and the new group's first meeting would not count. The new group would pick up the work. It could use the evidence already gathered.
Applying it to 2026
The rules for checking Census plans would only apply to a Census held after the law starts.
The rules for looking into a Census would apply to the latest Census before the law starts, and every Census after it.
The notes say this is meant to let the 2026 Census be checked. They say it does not change anything for people who filled in that Census.
For that first Census, the deadlines would stretch if the law starts late. Requests to add topics could be made until 3 months after Census day, or 1 month after the law starts, whichever is later.
The Statistician's review would be due 6 months after Census day, or 3 months after the law starts, whichever is later.
The Census group would have to start looking into it by 6 months after Census day, or 1 month after the law starts, whichever is later.
Waiting in the Senate
The law would start the day after the Governor-General, who stands in for the King, signed it into law.
Senator Smith brought the bill into the Senate on 12 October 2026. He spoke on its main idea the same day.
The Senate would now need to debate it and vote. If it passes, it would go to the House of Representatives.
Private bills often wait a long time to be debated. Many never get a vote.
Its journey through Parliament
| 12 Oct 2026 | Senate: Introduced and read a first time |
| 12 Oct 2026 | Senate: Second reading moved |