The 19 questions asked in Australia's first complete census

Australia's first complete national census, conducted in 1911, is part of an ancient tradition of population counting that stretches back nearly 6,000 years to the Babylonians. These early counts were fundamental for governments seeking to allocate resources, structure elections, and establish military forces.

The earliest known census was conducted by the Babylonians around 3800 BC, recorded on clay tablets, and included counts of people, livestock, and food stores. Later, censuses in Greece and Israel focused on military service eligibility, while ancient Egypt used them to assess labor for monument construction. The concept of a census was deeply intertwined with a society's ability to organize and manage its population for various state functions.

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For the purpose of ascertaining the country's wealth, an accurate survey and census was made, and was perfected about 2500 BC.

The ancient Romans, however, pioneered a system more akin to modern censuses. Under King Servius Tullius in the 6th century BC, reforms linked rights and military obligations to a citizen's wealth. Roman men were required to register their names, ages, family members, property value, and residence. This data allowed for the assignment of men to military units and the establishment of fairer tax obligations, expanding voting rights based on economic status.

Ancient historian Livy described the census as "a most useful thing" that ensured "the burdens of war and peace to be borne not indiscriminately … but in proportion to a man's wealth." Penalties for failing to register ranged from property seizure to slavery or even the death penalty in early Roman history, later evolving to the risk of losing voting rights. The Romans continued to hold censuses every five years through their transition from kingdom to republic and empire, solidifying its importance in governance.

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the census was 'a most useful thing' that enabled 'the burdens of war and peace to be borne not indiscriminately … but in proportion to a man's wealth'.