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Emily Walter - Australian Bureau of Statistics - It's Like Taking A Family Portrait Of The Whole Country · Lisa & Russell

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  Speaker 1: Well, it is just about upon us again. Census Night
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  Speaker 1: is Tuesday, August the eleventh, and from the Bureau of
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  Speaker 1: Statistics the National Census spokesperson Emily Walters joining us. Good morning, Emily,
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  Speaker 1: good morning.
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  Speaker 2: It's changed a lot over the years. It used to
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  Speaker 2: be all on paper, whereas now it's moving more to
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  Speaker 2: completion online. What's the percentage of that at the moment, Emily, Well.
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  Speaker 3: It'll be interesting to see. Already got over one million
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  Speaker 3: responses to our census this year so far, and that's
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  Speaker 3: mostly online, and we're expecting around eighty five percent of
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  Speaker 3: people will go online. Actually that's a lot.
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  Speaker 1: Wow, that is a lot.
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  Speaker 2: You know.
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  Speaker 1: Another big change is the fact that it used to
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  Speaker 1: be such a thing that you did it on the night.
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  Speaker 1: Do it on the night, it's got to be who's
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  Speaker 1: in the house on the night. Now you can do
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  Speaker 1: it ahead of time.
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  Speaker 3: Why the change, Well, it is still in respect of
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  Speaker 3: the Census night. It's like taking a big family photograph
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  Speaker 3: really of the country. Yes, and so it needs to
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  Speaker 3: be a point in time. But we you know, we
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  Speaker 3: recognize that people might say, well, I know where I'm
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  Speaker 3: going to be on Census night. I'll be at home
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  Speaker 3: family will be there. I'm just going to fill it
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  Speaker 3: in now, and so that's perfectly fine if you know
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  Speaker 3: what your circumstances will be you on census night.
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  Speaker 2: How long should people set aside for filling out the
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  Speaker 2: census form on paper or online?
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  Speaker 3: Generally, you know, an average household would take around thirty minutes,
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  Speaker 3: maybe a bit less. And there are sixty six questions
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  Speaker 3: on the form. But on the online form, if a
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  Speaker 3: question doesn't apply to you, then you get sequenced beyond it.
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  Speaker 1: Now you say eighty five percent will do it online,
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  Speaker 1: it's a lot, but there are still plenty of people
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  Speaker 1: who like to do it the old fashioned way. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: my mum won't be doing it online, I tell you
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  Speaker 1: that much. So where do people still get the paper forms?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a really great question and a really important
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  Speaker 3: one that So on the letter that you receive in
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  Speaker 3: the mail, there is an online automated pay per form
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  Speaker 3: service as in a call number. So people will be
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  Speaker 3: able to call that number and I'll get a pay
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  Speaker 3: per form delivered, or go to a pop up hub
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  Speaker 3: that we have around in various locations and collect paper
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  Speaker 3: forms there.
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  Speaker 1: I just have to ask. There's been a real rise
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  Speaker 1: of people in recent times that like to wear a
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  Speaker 1: tinfoil hat.
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  Speaker 2: Are you, Emily, you were going where I was going?
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  Speaker 1: Affecting people? Do you know they're paranoid about every little thing?
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  Speaker 1: And is this affecting people filling out their sensus in
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  Speaker 1: any way?
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  Speaker 3: Well, I don't. I mean, I think we had a
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  Speaker 3: really good response to the twenty twenty one census. Ninety
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  Speaker 3: six percent of households responded. People are generally very in
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  Speaker 3: favor of this huge collection. It is actually mandatory, so
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  Speaker 3: people do need to complete one, and it's mandatory because
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  Speaker 3: it provides what we need. We can't provide the services
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  Speaker 3: that the community needs as a nation unless we understand
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  Speaker 3: who we are and where we are. So this is
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  Speaker 3: really just such an important data set to do that.
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  Speaker 2: Do you expect an uptick in the number of Jedis
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  Speaker 2: particular senses?
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  Speaker 3: Well, we'll see, won't we what comes through? If it's
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  Speaker 3: still I.
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  Speaker 1: Don't care if you're a Jedi coock.
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  Speaker 2: Question, Emily, if you choose not to fill out the senses,
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  Speaker 2: what are the ramifications there?
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  Speaker 3: Well, we do have field staff who will follow up
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  Speaker 3: households that haven't responded, so you know, we do want
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  Speaker 3: to make sure, everyone's completely supported, understands what they need
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  Speaker 3: to do and is and has the materials they need
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  Speaker 3: to do that. But if someone does refuse, they can
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  Speaker 3: be fined.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, when they knock on the door, if they
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  Speaker 1: don't answer, they're probably in the bunker. Emily, thank you
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  Speaker 1: so much for your time today.
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  Speaker 3: You're very welcome. Thank