‘Delivering the 2021 Census’ report tells stories of innovation

The ‘Delivering the 2021 Census’ report, released on the one-year anniversary of the 2021 Census night on 10 August, highlights 14 aspects of how the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) delivered the 18th Australian Census of Population and Housing.

Dr David Gruen AO, Australian Statistician said, “This report shares stories of innovation and places them into our history. They are both a snapshot of the ‘pandemic’ Census and a learning resource for our public and private sector stakeholders, including our future Census teams. The stories cover a range of topics, from privacy and security to customer experience and community engagement. Each shows significant innovation leading to success.

“We achieved a 96.1 per cent response rate for private dwellings - an outstanding achievement given the challenges provided by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The ABS approached the 2021 Census with a renewed focus on security and privacy and transitioned to scalable and secure cloud-hosted technology.

“The report captures the success stories that emerged from user-centred design, communication and engagement strategies, including early completion and improved accessibility”.

‘Delivering the 2021 Census’ also tells the story of delivering a Census during a global pandemic. The ABS developed a COVID-19 safe plan to confidently adapt to the logistical and operational challenges caused by the pandemic while also prioritising the health and safety of staff and the community.

Stories of planning and governance, operations and data quality are also found in ‘Delivering the 2021 Census’. Read the full ‘Delivering the 2021 Census’ report.