Australian Home Educators Seek Census Representation

Parents who choose to educate their children at home are urging for their educational status to be recognized in Australia's national census. Current census forms only offer options for government, Catholic, and non-government schools, excluding families who opt for home education.

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I think having the data gives an opportunity to reflect how much home education is growing across the country

Denise Cox, a home educator from Hobart, expressed frustration with the lack of representation. She believes that collecting data on home education would provide valuable insights into its increasing popularity across the country. Cox also noted that mainstream schooling doesn't suit all learning styles, and home education offers a more adaptable approach, incorporating diverse activities like woodwork, geocaching, and volunteering alongside structured learning.

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So some days we might have woodwork at a local men's shed, we might be out geocaching … you could be out volunteering in a role, you could be doing a hike in a national park, looking at fungi or the ecosystem or geology

Advocates like Pavlina McMaster, coordinator for the volunteer-run Home Education Network, highlight the potential benefits of census inclusion. She suggests that data on home educators could assist local governments in planning community resources, such as parks and libraries, by understanding the daytime presence of these families. The census could also reveal the distribution of home educators in metropolitan, regional, and rural areas.

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Or you could have days where you're more structured doing your numeracy and literacy program. Everyone does it differently.

Furthermore, McMaster pointed out that census data could shed light on the financial implications for families who reduce work hours to home-school their children. This socio-economic information, she argues, is crucial for advocating for better resourcing and support for home educators, which she describes as currently being "practically non-existent."

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Home educators are out and about in the community during the day, and if you know you have a very high proportion of home educators, perhaps you're going to put some more money into playgrounds or into your local library