My 2026 Census Concerns
Published on 20 March 2026
Undercounting the true population of a local government area has real consequences for funding services and long-term planning for that local government. Anecdotally, there is significant evidence that this was the case for Narrabri Shire during the 2021 Census and it is a faux pas that Mayor Darrell Tiemens and Narrabri Shire Council want to ensure is avoided during the 2026 Census.
“The census is one of the most important datasets used by all levels of government and many service providers to determine funding allocations, infrastructure investment and service delivery,” Mayor Tiemens said.
“When regional communities are undercounted, it means they are effectively ripped off when it comes to hospitals, roads, housing and other essential services.”
There are several well-known factors in rural areas that can lead to people being missed during census collection including:
- itinerant agricultural workers
- international temporary workers
- backpackers
- contractors working across large properties
- fly-in-fly-out/drive-in-drive-out and local shift mining employees working on roster arrangements
- interstate truck drivers travelling through the district
- people living in temporary or informal accommodation
- people who currently don’t have a primary residence, e.g. couch surfers
Narrabri Shire’s unique profile further amplifies the challenge.
“Our Shire covers an enormous geographic area, and our population is far more dynamic than many people realise,” he said.
“As Australia’s second largest agricultural economy, we have a highly mobile workforce that must be accurately captured.
“People living in rural and remote areas of our Shire lead very different lives to those living in suburban Sydney and therefore require a bespoke approach”.
It is critical that the Australian Bureau of Statistics increases their efforts and works closely with regional councils and local communities to ensure a correct Census count.
“We understand the Bureau have been allocating resources and support to gain quality census data, but we are saying more needs to be done”, said Mayor Tiemens.
“We are the ones of the ground seeing the disparity between the results of the 2021 Census and the allocations that our communities are receiving.
“We must ensure that the census properly reflects the true scale and activity of regional communities like ours.”
All residents, workers and visitors who are in the Shire on Census night in August are encouraged to make sure they complete the census, so they are counted locally. Local employers are also encouraged to ensure their workforce understand the importance of completing the census.
“Getting this right matters. Accurate data ensures regional communities receive their fair share of investment and support.”