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🇦🇺 Australia /Culture & Society

'Entire streets' in regional towns miss out on census information in the post

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Residents in parts of South Australia, particularly on the Yorke Peninsula and near Port Pirie, report not receiving census information by post.
  • The Australian Bureau of Statistics confirmed delays in some areas but assured affected individuals would not be fined.
  • Some constituents expressed difficulty with online census completion and a preference for paper forms, leading to anxiety.

Residents in several regional towns across South Australia have expressed concern and confusion over not receiving census information by post, raising fears of potential fines. Federal Liberal MP for Grey, Tom Venning, stated his office received over 80 calls from constituents worried about missing census materials or needing help with online forms.

entire streets

— Tom VenningDescribing the extent of the census information delivery issue in his electorate.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) acknowledged that some areas on the Yorke Peninsula experienced delays in mail delivery for census letters. However, the ABS assured that households impacted by these delays would not face penalties. Despite this assurance, the situation caused "unjust anxiety" for many, according to Venning, who noted that "entire streets" missed out on receiving the necessary information.

unjust anxiety

— Tom VenningCommenting on the emotional impact of the census delivery problems on constituents.

Specific towns like Maitland and Arthurton on the Yorke Peninsula, as well as areas near Port Pirie, were identified as having issues. Residents like Creina Cullen from Arthurton reported not receiving a letter, and Arty Glazbrook mentioned needing his granddaughter's assistance to complete the census online, as he is not tech-savvy. Robert Fidock from Weeroona Island also highlighted the surprise of not receiving a paper form, given his age and lack of online engagement, though an ABS field officer eventually provided him with a hard copy.

I know that a number of people went into our local post office assuming that maybe they [the forms] had gone there so I'm not the only person in my area that didn't receive one.

— Creina CullenExplaining her experience of not receiving census information in Arthurton.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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