Jews urged to make Census count

THE Australian Bureau of Statistics’ motto for the 2016 Census, which will be held on Tuesday night, is “Your moment to make a difference” – and this is particularly the case for Australian Jewry according to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) and to JCA demographer Dr David Graham.

Dr Graham, who produced in-depth analytical reports about Australia’s Jewish population based on data from the last Census in 2011, told The AJN that without the Census, “The Jewish community would be very much impoverished from the point of view of understanding itself.

“The Census is something we use to shape the community, to advance communal planning, to provide the essential community services in an efficient way,” he said.

“We can get information about education, health, infrastructure and fundamental demographic data, including the population pyramid, for the Jewish community that simply cannot be obtained in surveys or sample studies.

“The Census is like a crystal ball – an absolutely vital tool – and it would be an error to underestimate how significant it is, and what a gift it is, to the community.”

Dr Graham and ECAJ president Robert Goot are strongly urging all Jewish Australians to answer the Census question about religion by typing or writing either “Jewish” or “Judaism” to ensure an accurate snapshot of Australian Jewry is available to guide and inform planning for essential services for the community.

Dr Graham said this question is the only one that is optional to answer “because the powers that be considered that asking this question could be portrayed as being intrusive”.

“But your personal details are not linked to your responses, so there isn’t a logical argument about whether somebody will find out.”

Dr Graham added that approximately 10 per cent of Jewish responders did not answer the “religion” question in the 2011 Census.

“Not answering this question helps nobody, in my opinion.”

Goot said the Jewish community “depends on the Census for accurate planning information for services in fields such as education, welfare and aged care”.

There will be an extended window of time permitted – from 18 months to a maximum of four years – for the ABS to retain respondents’ names and addresses (stored separately in anonymised form) for the purpose of enriching the statistical picture of Australia through integration with other survey and administrative data.

Dr Graham said of this change, from a security or privacy perspective, “I don’t think there is anything at all to worry about.

“We have to think about that from a cost-benefit angle. The security risk is tiny or negligible and the benefits of retaining the data are enormous.”

JCA’s head of planning and projects, Alain Hasson, said, “Having as accurate as possible a snapshot of the community allows the JCA and every single one of its 23 member organisations to forecast where we are going.”

Hasson added the reports Dr Graham produced after the last Census – and having him on board again to analyse the findings of the 2016 Census – is invaluable.

“I feel we are better prepared this time. There is the benefit of international expertise here [through Dr Graham], and I think we are just going to improve,” Hasson said.

For more information about the Census, visit www.census.abs.gov.au. To request a paper census form,  call 1300 820 275.

SHANE DESIATNIK

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