Next week’s Census, to be held on 10 August 2021, will include a question on Australian Defence Force service for the first time ever.
 
As a nation, we recognise our veterans in a range of ways and yet to date, we have not recognised them in the national survey.  
 
Federal Labor, along with the States and Territories, has long called for the Commonwealth to include a question on Defence service in the Census to identify Australia’s veterans.  
 
This is because the Morrison Government has admitted it does not know how many veterans there are in Australia.
 
The new 2021 Census question will help identify how many veterans there are and where they live, allowing the right services to be delivered where they are needed. 
 
It will ask Australians to respond ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ for whether they have current or previous service in the Australian Defence Force Regular Service or in the Reserve Service.
 
The resulting data will help Federal, State and Territory government agencies, and ex-service organisations to better target support for veterans and their families in areas such as health and mental health, housing and employment.  
 
Recent reports on issues such as veteran suicide and homelessness have highlighted that too many ex-service personnel are falling through the cracks and support services are failing our most vulnerable people. 
 
We need to have the best information available to understand these issues, so we can provide the best possible care and support for our veterans.   
 
The 2021 Australian Census will be released on Tuesday, 10 August 2021. More information is available at www.census.abs.gov.au.