The federal government has moved to assure people their personal data, entered in tonight's (Tues 9/8) census, will be secure. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) plans to retain data for up to four years to enable more rigorous studies of s... (The federal government has moved to assure people their personal data, entered in tonight's (Tues 9/8) census, will be secure. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) plans to retain data for up to four years to enable more rigorous studies of social trends. A number of people have expressed concerns over the way census data is being collected and kept. Jitarth Jai Bharadwaj talked to Vasan Srinivasan member of Australian Multicultural Council and Manoj Kumar, Community engagement chairperson of South Asian Public Affairs Council of Australia.  )