The future of our community depends on being seen, recognised and counted in the Census 2026.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, 11 August 2026, Australians will take part in the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Census of Population and Housing\u2014the official record of who we are as a nation.<\/p>\n
The Census is not just a form to complete. It is the information governments use to make decisions about the services, infrastructure and policies that will shape Australia over the next five years.<\/p>\n
Greek Australians matter and every answer matters<\/p>\n
Census data helps determine planning for hospitals, schools, transport, aged care, community services, language programs and support for culturally and linguistically diverse communities.<\/p>\n
For Greek Australians, the 2026 Census is an important opportunity to make our presence known and ensure our history, contribution and identity are accurately recorded.<\/p>\n
The timing of this Census presents a challenge. It falls during the period when many Greek Australians travel to Greece for the summer holidays, while others are overseas visiting family across Europe. If Greek Australians are not properly recorded, the true size and contribution of our community may not be reflected.<\/p>\n
A community that is not accurately counted risks having its needs overlooked.<\/p>\n
Every Greek Australian here on Census night must take part<\/p>\n
When completing the Census, it is important to answer the questions on ancestry carefully. Being Greek Australian is not only about where you were born.<\/p>\n
Our community includes generations of Australians with Greek heritage, as well as people whose families came to Australia from Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Asia Minor and other parts of Europe.<\/p>\n
Your ancestry matters so declare it.<\/p>\n
The question about language spoken at home is equally important. If you speak Greek\u2014even alongside English\u2014record it.<\/p>\n
This information helps governments understand the need for Greek language education, interpreting services, aged care support, and programs that serve our community.<\/p>\n
The Census also influences funding decisions for community organisations, schools and services. The more accurately our community is recorded, the stronger our voice becomes when advocating for the resources and support we need.<\/p>\n
For Greek Australians, the Census is also an opportunity to reflect the complexity of who we are as a diaspora. Dr Andonis Piperoglou Hellenic Senior Lecturer in Global Diasporas, The University of Melbourne speaking to Neos Kosmos after the last Census said more than 40 per cent of Australians have at least one parent born overseas, meaning many more have grandparents born overseas \u2014 a reality that speaks directly to the experience of communities such as the Greek diaspora.<\/p>\n
Dr Piperoglou said Census questions about cultural identity are complex and challenging to design.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuestions that seek to identify people\u2019s cultural and linguistic background and identity are hard to design,\u201d Dr Piperoglou said. Census categories can sometimes fail to capture the diversity of modern diaspora identities.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo say, \u2018I speak broken Greek\u2019, or \u2018I have a distant Hellenic heritage\u2019, forces people to narrow themselves into more singular definitions that do not represent the modern Greek diaspora,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For example, someone may identify as Greek through family heritage, history and culture, even if they do not speak Greek.<\/p>\n
Others may have roots in places such as Egypt, Asia Minor or other parts of the world, while still identifying strongly with Hellenic culture and the Greek diaspora.<\/p>\n
Many Greek Australians today also live in families with multiple cultural backgrounds, identities that are not always fully captured by existing Census categories.<\/p>\n
For example, many third generation Greek Australians may also have one parent who is not of Hellenic background, so should ensure that include the Hellenic background as well when answering.<\/p>\n
Every Greek Australian has the opportunity to ensure their ancestry, language and cultural identity are recognised in the 2026 Census.<\/p>\n
Do not underestimate the importance of the Census<\/p>\n
Often our community have underestimated the importance of the Census. Community organisations, families and individuals all have a role to play in ensuring older Australians and those who may struggle with online processes receive assistance to participate.<\/p>\n
This is our opportunity, once every five years, to formally declare who we are, where we come from and the heritage we continue to pass on.<\/p>\n
On 11 August 2026, let\u2019s make sure Greek Australia is counted.<\/p>\n
Declare your Greek ancestry.<\/p>\n
Declare the languages you speak.<\/p>\n
Declare your cultural identity.<\/p>\n
Every person counts. Every family counts. Every response strengthens our community\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
The 2026 Census is not just about numbers, it is about our future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The future of our community depends on being seen, recognised and counted in the Census 2026. On Tuesday,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":784401,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-784400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/784400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=784400"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/784400\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/784401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=784400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=784400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=784400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}