Stop everything.
August 9 is Census night.
I know you know. I know you took the letter inside only to toss it in the ‘bleh’ pile.
Take it out! It could cost you a $180 per day.
Seriously. A penalty of $180 per day can be enforced for those who fail to record their census data after reminder letters and field staff visits cease in mid-September.
The Census is SERIOUS BUSINESS. It’s not just an event that occurs every five years like some piss-poor Olympics.
You know you’re an Aussie when you saw the letter and went ‘yeah, nah, later’. Post continues…
The Australian Bureau of Statistics have even planted ‘special field officers’ in remote locations for those who won’t be at home.
“Special Field Officers will be found at certain locations in remote areas such as truck stops and caravan parks.”
In other words…you can’t escape the count.
The 2016 Census is different to its predecessors as it will be the first year names and addresses will be kept for four years.
Previous data has only been retained for 18 months.
Vice chair of the Australian Privacy Foundation Kat Lane spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald to voice how this year’s census raised privacy concerns.
“The whole concept behind privacy is control of your personal information,” she said.
“What we need to understand as a society is that it needs to be a choice whether you share your data with the world and whether you don’t.”
The push this year has also taken a swipe at issues faced in previous counts.
The amusing amount of Jedi knights residing in Australia sits near the top of the list.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported 64,390 Australians marked Jedi as their religion In the 2011 Census.
The figure was a jump up from 58,053 jedis who were recorded in 2006.
Australians are urged to not mark themselves as followers of the force as it skews results and makes the country appear more religious than it is.
The flow-on effect of the joke could alter how and where taxpayer money is being allocated and spoiler alert: it’s not going to be on the death star.
Top Comments
I'll be shocked if the website doesn't crash on the day
You win the internets this week.
You should take your psychic reading show on the road. You are much better than the current mob of shysters who claim clairvoyant powers.
I did my form first thing in the morning for that reason, had no trouble at all! Was quite surprised it managed to work.
On a related but separate note, I worked at the election, and the polling placed had some interstate voters panic turning up after 5.45pm, not realising they'd needed to vote at an interstate polling venue in the city, and freaking out about being fined.
I discussed the election day and this aspect with my colleagues on the Monday morning. We're all smart, educated people, and we all knew a fine was involved, but we had no idea of the amount. So we looked it up, and we were *very* surprised:
After each election, the AEC will send a letter to all apparent non-voters requesting that they either provide a valid and sufficient reason for failing to vote or pay a $20 penalty.
These letters are not sent until some time after the return of writs for the federal election.
If, within the time period specified on the notice, you fail to reply, cannot provide a valid and sufficient reason or decline to pay the $20 penalty, then the matter may be referred to a court. If the matter is dealt with in court and you are found guilty, you may be fined up to $180 plus court costs and a criminal conviction may be recorded against you.