Wilson demands ‘corrective action’

Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson wrote to the government on the eve of census night accusing it of silencing Judaism in the census and calling for corrective action.

Census night was Tuesday, August 11.

Wilson, the Liberal member for Goldstein, wrote to Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury Andrew Leigh on Monday, saying residents had been shocked to discover Judaism was not among the religions listed on this year’s form.

Goldstein has the third largest Jewish community of any electorate in Australia.

A number of constituents had written to him about “the silencing of Judaism in the census”, he said in the letter, and had told him this was the first census in which they had intended to fill in their faith.

Wilson acknowledged that the government lists only the 10 most common religions, but argued the omission reflected historical under-reporting.

Many Australians of Jewish heritage had “consciously chosen not to register their faith” in previous censuses for personal security reasons, he wrote, citing concerns about “contributing to government lists of Jews”.

When asked about the fact that there has never been a tick box for Judaism in any census, he said constituents had raised the concern with him and did not feel they were being properly represented.

Asked why Judaism should have a dedicated box when larger groups outside the top 10, such as Sikhs, do not, Wilson said he was not proposing a set-aside.

“I’m not suggesting that it need be limited only to Judaism,” he said.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has said Judaism was never a pre-filled option on the religion question and has been listed in the instructional text as a write-in example since 2001. The 10 tick boxes reflect the 10 most common responses to the religion question in the 2021 census.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion has said sensitivities about privacy and security were understandable given the community’s history and recent events in Australia, but pointed to the legal protections around census data.

“The law imposes stiff penalties, including imprisonment, on any person who divulges, directly or indirectly, any identifiable personal information collected in the census,” he said.

Jewish organisations, including the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, spent the lead-up to census night urging community members to tick “other” and write in Judaism.