An investigation of who gets counted, and in what fashion, through case studies of the census. Shockingly, we discover that the census is and always has been a political instrument, particularly in its relationship to marginalised groups such as people with diverse genders and sexualities, or native populations under settler-colonial governments.

References:

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2018) '2007.0 - Census of Population and Housing: Consultation on Topics, 2021', published 3rd April. Accessed 11th August 2021, https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/by%20Subject/2007.0~2021~Main%20Features~Preface~1

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2020) '2021 Census topics and data release plan', published 15th November. Accessed 10th August 2021, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/research/2021-census-topics-and-data-release-plan.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021) '2021 Census of Population and Housing'.

Cohn, D. (2018) 'What to know about the citizenship question the Census Bureau is planning to ask in 2020', Pew Research Centre, published 30th March. Accessed 5th August 2021, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/30/what-to-know-about-the-citizenship-question-the-census-bureau-is-planning-to-ask-in-2020/.

Karp, P. (2019) 'Liberal MP calls for sexuality questions in census after ABS dumped them on minister’s guidance', The Guardian, published 23th October. Accessed 1st August 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/oct/24/abs-dumped-census-test-forms-with-new-sexuality-questions-after-input-from-ministers-office.

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (n.d.) 'The 1967 Referendum'. Accessed 1st August 2021, https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/1967-referendum.

A video version of the episode is available:

https://youtu.be/qx9dglBmD7k

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