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- In France's Marseille, teen 'stabbed 50 times' then burned alive
- Ruthless Gauff beats Muchova in straight sets to win China Open
- India restrict Pakistan to 105-8 in Women's T20 World Cup
- England target repeat of Pakistan Test whitewash
- Penrith Panthers win fourth straight NRL title after downing Storm
- Weary Sinner happy for day off after battling into Shanghai last 16
- Pakistan's Masood warns England still a force without Stokes
- Madrid's Carvajal to miss several months after serious knee injury
- Israel pounds Lebanon ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
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- Toddler among 4 dead in migrant Channel crossings
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- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
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- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
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- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
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- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
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- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
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Australian census to ask about sexuality after LGBTQ backlash
Australia's census will ask citizens about their sexuality for the first time, the government said Friday, a policy U-turn aimed at quelling anger from LGBTQ groups.
Supporters have said questions about sexual identity would provide a more accurate snapshot of who Australians are and who they love.
Just a day after his ministers explained the census change had been scrapped to avoid a divisive debate, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Friday that a question about sexuality would in fact be included in the 2026 survey.
Australia's statistics bureau has developed a new question about sexual orientation, which will now be tested before it can be included in the survey, he said.
"We think that is a common sense position," Albanese told public broadcaster ABC.
It is compulsory to complete the census in Australia, with fines for those who fail to do so.
But people would have the option of answering the sexual orientation question or not, the prime minister said.
Asked why the government had backed down, Albanese said: "No, this is the first time I have been asked about it."
He made no mention of plans to include a question about gender identity, however, saying only that there would not be "massive changes" to the census.
Equality Australia, a rights advocacy group, said it was now unclear how the census would affect trans and gender-diverse people, as well as people with innate variations of sex characteristics.
"We welcome the inclusion of a sexual orientation question but the national snapshot of our nation must include all of us, not just some of us," said Equality Australia chief executive Anna Brown.
"The federal government shouldn't pick and choose those of us who are worthy of being counted."
Brown said including LGBTQ people in the census would bring Australia into line with other countries that already do so, including Britain, Canada and New Zealand.
"It would be a shame if the government doesn't trust the Australian public enough to accept that the census needs to gather basic data about our nation for it be meaningful and useful," she said.
O.Norris--AMWN