Minorities and individuals who have decided against mainstream behaviour and mores can expect to conduct their private lives as they see fit - as long as their behaviour doesn't affect the majority. They can identify as anything they choose. What they cannot do is expect the majority to facilitate their nonsense.

As for the rights and wrongs of the Census, you have no say in it because you have allowed the government to control you. You have been careless or disinterested in the 'by the people' part of the democratic credo. If you don’t do the census, you will be fined; if you lie, you will be fined. You can't give a false name and address, or leave that blank, because you will still be fined. Big Brother knows the identity of people occupying all dwellings.

While many offences against against citizens are brushed off as not worth as not worth bothering with - e.g last night on the news an Adelaide Chinese male getting a mere good behaviour bond for assaulting a Chinese woman on TV (no doubt about the crime). Big Brother does not allow you to offend against him because you have allowed him too much power, you sheep.

Rather than worrying about weirdos, tax paying sheep should be concerned that their ABC has settled a defamation suit brought against it by outgoing MP Andrew Laming, after a tweet by star ABC journalist Louise Milligan. $130,000 in damages and costs to Laming is coming out of your pockets.

Dear Paul,

«You might like this, some months back I received a letter from the ABS "inviting" me to take part in a survey of theirs»

It is horrible.
What can I say - I know someone who fled their home in the middle of the night in fear of them ABS and to avoid having to fill their survey. Fortunately she was only renting so she did not lose her own home.
Obviously she then kept her new residential address in secret.

In the past I have considered being deliberately out of the country for the census night. This of course is not possible at the moment.

Foxy,
They were counted in the census, every one who filled in the form is counted.

My gripe is the waste of our money; despite instructions being given on the form a letter arrived addressed ‘To the Householder’ with the same instructions.

Is Mise,

Thanks for that.

However questions on gender and sexuality were not
included. Should they have been?