CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Mr BOYCE (Flynn) (09:45): I rise today to highlight the growing concerns from constituents right across the Flynn electorate regarding the delivery and the administration of the 2026 census. The census is one of the most important exercises undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Its data informs decisions on roads, hospitals, schools, telecommunications and other essential services.

For regional Australia, where communities must often fight for their fair share of investment, it is vital that every person and every household is counted. Unfortunately, many residents across my electorate have reported serious issues receiving census forms and correspondence. In Wowan, the local post office manager advised my office that numerous residents did not receive census forms despite a census collector recently visiting the area.

One resident ordered and completed a paper form, only to later receive a second form from the census collector. When the duplication was raised, he was told that there was nothing that could be done and the additional form had to be left behind. In the Baree and Walterhall Showgrounds Road area near Mount Morgan, residents have reported receiving no census forms at all.

At one shared road entrance in Baree, three occupied properties housing nine residents were entirely missed. My electorate offices in Gladstone, Emerald and Gayndah have also been inundated with calls and visits from constituents seeking assistance because they never received their census correspondence. Rather than simply completing their censuses, these residents have had to rely on my staff to help them obtain replacement forms.

In another concerning case, my office contacted the ABS on behalf of a constituent in Wurdong Heights, near Gladstone, only to be advised that there was no record of the dwelling. This is an established residence in a populated acreage area that received census materials in 2021 and can be readily located on publicly available mapping services. The fact that such a property appears to have disappeared from the ABS database raises serious concerns about the accuracy of dwelling records used for census distribution.

These problems have been compounded by the ongoing reduction of services in rural and regional Australia. The closure of Australia Post outlets and the reduced access to face-to-face services make it harder for residents to receive important government correspondence and support. For many people in the bush, the local post office is more than a place to collect mail; it is a vital community service.

I call on the Australian Bureau of Statistics to urgently investigate these shortcomings, ensure all eligible households are properly identified and serviced, and provide confidence that regional Australians are not being left behind. When it comes to the census, every person counts, every community matters, and every Australian deserves to be counted.