Australia's decision not to include new questions about gender and sexual orientation in the next census prompted fierce debate Thursday, and a warning that LGBTQ citizens may boycott the count.
The country's centre-left government said it scrapped tentative plans to ask Australians -- for the first time -- about their sexual and gender identity in the 2026 survey.
Supporters had hoped the questions would provide a more accurate snapshot of who Australians are and who they love.
But finance minister Jim Chalmers said Thursday that the decision was made to avoid an ugly and potentially divisive public debate.
"We've seen the way that these issues can be weaponised against members of our community, and we don't want to see that happen," Chalmers told public broadcaster ABC.
"The census isn't the only opportunity to gather that sort of data".
But some have voiced anger at the U-turn.
Independent Sydney lawmaker Alex Greenwich said not being properly counted "would be deeply hurtful" to a part of the population "who for many years have been forced into the closet".
"If this decision sticks, the government could expect LGBTQ people and our families not to participate in the next census," he warned.
Anna Brown, the CEO of Equality Australia, a rights advocacy group, said the notion that census questions would be a threat to social cohesion was "frankly, absurd".
"What the government is saying to us is that we are not worth having the hard conversations for, and they are dumping us in the too-hard basket" she said.