Census Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 1)

Overview

The Census Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 1) were enacted to update the topics included in the 2001 Census of Population and Housing, ensuring that the statistical information collected aligns with contemporary societal needs and trends. This regulation, issued by the authority of the Minister for Financial Services and Regulation under the Census and Statistics Act 1905, aimed to address the evolving informational requirements of the nation. The principal objective was to include new topics such as ancestry, use of personal computers, use of the Internet, and status of a person in a nonprivate dwelling, while omitting certain topics from the 1996 Census that were deemed less relevant. By doing so, the Regulations sought to provide a more accurate and comprehensive representation of the Australian population and its characteristics.

Scope and Application

The Census Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 1) provide amendments to the Census Regulations to outline the topics to be included in the 2001 Census of Population and Housing. The regulations apply to all entities and individuals required to provide information in the census, including households and institutions, and are applicable across the Commonwealth of Australia. The amendments include the introduction of four new topics: ancestry, use of personal computers, use of the Internet, and the status of a person in a nonprivate dwelling, while removing three topics from the 1996 Census: number of children ever born applying to females over the age of 15 years, present marital status for a person who is usually a member of the household but is absent on the Census night, and provision of furniture in a rented dwelling. Other topics from the 1996 Census have been revised. These regulations commenced on gazettal and are subordinate to the Census and Statistics Act 1905, which allows for the making of regulations necessary for the effective execution of the Act. The regulations do not include any exclusions, exemptions, or thresholds specific to their application.

Key Provisions

The main operative sections of the Census Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 1) (the Regulations) include the provisions that set the date for the Census Day as 2001, specify the topics to be included in the Census, and detail the amendments to the topics from the 1996 Census (Reg 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13). Section 27 of the Census and Statistics Act 1905 (the Act) authorises the Governor-General to make regulations to prescribe matters necessary for carrying out the Act, including the topics to be collected during the Census (s 27). The Regulations provide that four new topics will be included in the 2001 Census of Population and Housing: ancestry, use of personal computers, use of the Internet, and status of a person in a non-private dwelling (Reg 5, 6, 7, 12). These Regulations also remove three topics from the 1996 Census: number of children ever born applying to females over the age of 15 years, present marital status for a person who is usually a member of the household but is absent on Census night, and provision of furniture in a rented dwelling (Reg 5, 9, 11). The Regulations impose several obligations on the parties and entities they govern. The Statistician is required to collect statistical information on the topics prescribed by the Regulations for the purposes of the Census (s 8(3) of the Act). The Regulations also require that the topics be collected in a revised manner, such as changing the wording of questions or removing certain questions (Reg 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11). Additionally, the Regulations require that the amendments to the topics be made prior to the 2001 Census (Reg 3). Breach of the Regulations may result in civil or criminal consequences. However, the Explanatory Statement does not provide specific details on the offences, penalties, or consequences for breach of the Regulations. It is important to note that failure to comply with the requirements of the Regulations may result in inaccurate or incomplete Census data, which could have implications for the allocation of resources and policy-making based on Census results. The specific penalties for breach of the Regulations would likely be determined by the relevant legislation or administrative guidelines.