Fury As Ethnicity Questions Are Scrapped From Australia’s Next Census: ‘Hiding Uncomfortable Truths’
Fury has erupted over a decision to cancel the collection of ethnicity data in the next Australian census, with critics questioning the motivations behind the move.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) announced two years ago it would begin asking questions on ethnicity beginning in 2026, but backflipped in December citing “significant issues” and “complexities”.
The ABS said: “Despite testing multiple concepts around ethnic identity, including ‘ethnic group/s’, ‘cultural background’, ‘ethnic and cultural heritage’ and ‘the culture you belong to’, there were significant issues.
“The testing showed that the public is unlikely to have a consistent understanding of what ethnic identity is, or the difference between ethnic identity and ancestry. The ABS determined that due to these complexities collecting both ethnic identity and ancestry on the same form is not feasible for the 2026 Census.”
Dr Frank Salter, an academic and researcher from Anglo-Celtic advocacy group the British Australian Community, told Noticer News that the ABS should be asking more questions on the topic, not fewer.
“Ethnicity is a vital aspect of demography and identity. People who are descended from the same ancestors share a cultural and genetic kinship, factors that can be important for defending identity and shared interests,” he said.
“The abandonment of questions concerning ethnicity comes from an establishment that also praises multiculturalism, the doctrine that people should be free to pursue group interests and show pride in their history.”
Dr Salter used the example of France as a country that fails to collect ethnicity statistics, noting it had become politically polarised due to rising diversity and was well on its way to becoming an Islamic state, causing Jewish citizens to flee overseas.
“If Australia is indeed the world’s most successful multicultural society, why is the government moving to hide information revealing the full extent of changing demographics?” Dr Salter asked.
“As White Australians approach minority status in their own country, the census should be focusing more questions on ethnic and religious identity, not fewer.”
The ABS has just dropped ethnicity from its 2026 census.
What are they hiding? Australia must follow the US, UK, NZ and Canada by recording ethnicity.
Australians have a right to know who makes up their own country. pic.twitter.com/arTTyhiQIV
— Migration Watch Australia (@MigrationW_AU) April 25, 2024
Australians also reacted angrily on social media.
“This is a disgrace – the Australian government is refusing to collect and publish statistics on ethnicity because they want to try and prevent discussion of the vast and unpopular demographic changes their mass immigration policy is causing,” one X user said.
Migration Watch Australia asked: “What are they hiding? Australia must follow the US, UK, NZ and Canada by recording ethnicity. Australians have a right to know who makes up their own country.”
“Hiding uncomfortable truths,” Freelancer founder Matt Barrie replied.
Commentator Bryan Madigan said in a video on the subject that the ABS’s reasoning was “pretty insulting”.
“What they are saying there is, my diverse audience from around the world, is that you’re too dumb. Too dumb to figure out the difference between ethnicity and ancestry,” he said.
“I’m not surprised there. This soft bigotry of low expectations from leftist governments like this is not new.
“These leftist governments don’t want you to know that they are importing a voter base, they want to hide those figures as much as they can.”
The outrage over the ABS decision comes as new data showed that 30.7% of Australia’s population was foreign-born as of June 30 last year, the highest proportion since Federation.
The countries of birth with the largest increases since 2013 were India (467,000) , China (223,000), Nepal (144,000) and the Philippines (143,000).
HERE’S WHY THE ABS WON’T COLLECT “ETHNICITY” DATA
ABS has said it won’t be asking about “ethnicity” at the next census and the reason why is pretty insulting. pic.twitter.com/qJ7zlZyxwD— The Bryan Madigan (@thebryanmadigan) April 27, 2024
