Census 2011

Thanks for making a difference on Census night!

On 9 August this year, you were asked what your religion was as part of the Australian Census. Many of you happily indicated that you weren't religious.

Why was it important to answer the question carefully?

Providing an accurate picture of what religion you practice today, or the fact that you are not religious, is important. This is because how the Census question was answered influences how our Governments behave. This includes deciding what laws to pass, what taxpayer funding religious programs should receive and what special exemptions religious organisations should be provided with. It is essential that these decisions are based on an accurate picture of the number of people who follow those religions.

Is that the end of the matter?

No. Reason Australia and like-minded organisations remain concerned that, unless changed in the future, the way the Census question is phrased will continue to cause a distorted picture of the extent of religion in Australia.

This is because the question can be interpreted to mean “what religion were you brought up with?”. Reason Australia considers that, to provide an accurate picture of contemporary Australian society, the question should be rewritten as "what religion do you actively practice today?".

As adults, many people cease to believe in gods or follow the religions they were brought up in. We encourage everyone to think carefully about what their beliefs are and whether they put those beliefs into practice. If you don’t practice the key tenets of what your religion prescribes, then you should mark “No religion” on future Census forms

In addition, parents may include children as following their religion in their answer. But there are no Christian, Jewish, Moslem or even non-religious children - children aren’t old enough to make an informed decision about what they believe. So they shouldn’t be included as being religious either.

Reason Australia will continue to seek the above change with the Australian Bureau of Statistics.