Separating sex and gender is statistical malpractice

On August 11 2026, it will be Census night in Australia. The Census is an important instrument for collecting data on the Australian population, and informs policy decisions at every level. It is conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and they are an extremely professional organisation that takes their work seriously. Every time a new Census is conducted, they reconsider the questions it asks and will make changes from time to time in order to suit a policy environment that changes over time. They are diligent, and they research their questions very carefully. For the 2026 Census there are two new optional questions that have been introduced, applicable only to people over the age of 16. Both of these questions relate to Australia’s LGBTQIA+ population. One of the new questions allows people to specify their sexual orientation. This post is not about that question.1 Rather, I want to talk about the second question, which allows people to specify their gender identity if…