Retention of name-identified information
In Australian censuses prior to 2001, all forms and other name-identified records have been destroyed once the statistical data required for the purposes of the Census have been extracted. For the 2001 Census, respondents were given the option to have their name-identified Census records retained.
The decision to retain name-identified Census records and to make them generally available after 99 years was reached after the federal government considered the recommendations of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs. Just over half of the population chose to have their individual responses retained and these responses are now with the National Archives of Australia. For the 2006 Census, people will again be given the option of having their name-identified Census records retained.
Information will only be kept for those people who explicitly give their consent.
For privacy reasons, the name-identified information will not be available for any purpose within a 99 year closed access period, including by a court or tribunal. If a person does not explicitly agree to their name-identified 2006 Census information being retained, their name and address will be destroyed once statistical processing has been completed.
See also Census and Statistics Act, Confidentiality, Name.
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