As Australians sit down to complete the 2026 Census this Tuesday night, the importance of the process and the data it collects every five years cannot be underestimated.
By completing the Census, Australians are providing the Government with insights that will be used to inform its decision-making, including the allocation of billions of dollars in Commonwealth funding and long-term infrastructure planning.
For regional Australia, the Census is a chance to shape the future. It is an opportunity to have an impact on what happens over the next five years and beyond – at a federal, state and local level.
Where road funding is allocated, where new childcare centres and hospitals are opened, where electoral borders are drawn, what government programs are rolled out – all hinge on the results of next week’s Census.
Equally important is the private business investment and spend based on Census data, as more and more services are cut in regional areas from banking to postal services and supermarkets.
It will also answer whether regional communities have the right skill mix to thrive economically, culturally and socially.
As an organisation representing growers, what government does has a real impact on what GrainGrowers does and the daily lives of growers. That’s why GrainGrowers is keenly interested in the Census and what it will mean for Australia’s grain industry.
Several sections of the Census are particularly relevant to agriculture and regional Australia, these are outlined below.
Why does the Census ask some of the questions it does?
Some Census questions prompt respondents to wonder why the Government wants to know certain information.
For example, questions about previous addresses help track population movement, allowing governments to understand whether people are moving into or out of regional communities and the demographics of the people moving.
Additionally, it indicates whether those people leaving the regions are being replaced by people with like-for-like skills that help underpin the grains industry – agronomists, mechanics, and farm workers.
Education questions capture the qualifications held by everyone in the household. This information helps governments identify skills shortages, plan training programs and allocate education resources where they are needed most.
Occupation and employment questions capture the size and importance of the grains industry, the amount of people the industry employs directly or indirectly, and the types of tasks undertaken on farm.
This will demonstrate to government that the grains industry is an important value creator and employer in regional communities, ensuring a seat at the table for issues that affect the industry.
Agriculture Census Cessation
There is one extremely disappointing part of this Census cycle from an agricultural perspective: the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) will no longer conduct the Agricultural Census (AgCensus). The AgCensus last took place in 2021.
That means the last full picture of agricultural production, land use and business numbers on a granular and localised basis is 5-years old – more recent up to date data is needed for the sector to prosper, otherwise decisions are being made on redundant and outdated data.
Unfortunately, this represents a loss of another publicly available dataset for the agricultural sector, continuing a worrying trend of less information being produced at a time when data is growing in its importance.
What has happened in the last 5 years?
Data from the last Census in 2021 suggested the most common farmer in the grain industry was a 55–59-year-old male from NSW who has finished year 12. The data from this Census will see if the typical grain farmer has changed.
The Census comes as GrainGrowers prepares to launch its State of the Industry (SOTI) Report tracking the key production, people, supply-chain and export statistics over the last 5 years and highlighting key opportunities and challenges the industry faces in the future. It helps show what has occurred in the industry since the last Census.
The Census and SOTI go hand in hand. The Census data highlighting where the industry is at a point in time, whereas SOTI shows the progress made as an industry since.
Could the 2026 Australian Census be a huge win for regional Australia?
Hopefully!
It would be good to see Census results lead to greater investment in grain growing communities.
Once the Census results are published next June, GrainGrowers will take a deep dive to better understand the people who work in the industry right now.
Which is why taking the time to answer these questions accurately helps ensure the grains industry and regional workforce are represented correctly.