The ''Census and Statistics Act 1905'' (Cth) is an
Act of the
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislature, legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the ...
, that was passed in 1905, and provides the power to the
Australian Statistician
The Australian Statistician is the head of the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
On 18 June 1906, the first ''Statistician of the Commonwealth of Australia'' was appointed to carry out the provisions of the ''Census and Statistics Act 1905''. Late ...
to collect statistical information in the form of a
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
. The Act also mandates that the
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is the independent statutory agency of the Australian Government responsible for statistical collection and analysis and for giving evidence-based advice to federal, state and territory governments ...
must publish the information collected in the census whilst maintaining the privacy of participant's personal information.
On 8 December 1905, the Act received
royal assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
whilst simultaneously beginning its initial commencement, and it has since been amended 19 times.
Amendments
Privacy
Prior to 2001, all name-identified information relating the census' participants was destroyed once the statistical information was processed. After a trial period, this law was then changed to allow for name-identified information to be stored with the statistical information in the national archives for its public release after 99 years granted that the individuals consented.
See also
*
Census in Australia
The Census in Australia, officially the Census of Population and Housing, is the national census in Australia that occurs every five years. The census collects key demographic, social and economic data from all people in Australia on census nig ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Census and Statistics Act 1905 ''Federal Register of Legislation''. Australian Government.
Australian Bureau of StatisticsCensus information and data.
Censuses in Australia
Acts of the Parliament of Australia
1905 in Australian law