10/08/2026
Census night is tonight
Tuesday 11 August 2026
Everyone in Australia must be included on a Census form tonight, Tuesday 11 August, and most households can complete it online in one sitting using the letter the Australian Bureau of Statistics posted out from late July.
The Census runs once every five years and it is what governments use to decide where schools, hospitals, bus services and community services go. Our area is one of the most diverse in the state, and an undercount here means services planned for fewer people than actually live here.
If you do not have the letter, a computer, or English as your first language, none of that stops you. Every one of those has a fix, and they are all set out below.
THE 2026 CENSUS
How to complete it
Your ABS letter has a 16-digit Census number and a 9-character temporary password. Enter both at the Census website, and you can save part way through and come back to it later.
11 Aug
Census night
One form covers your whole household.
16 digits
Your Census number
On the ABS letter posted out from late July.
180 min
Free computer time a day
At Auburn or Lidcombe Library. Membership is free.
131 450
Help in your language
Translating and Interpreting Service. Free to call.
Include everyone staying at your address tonight - babies, adult children, parents, housemates and boarders.
Visitors count too. Friends and family staying the night go on your form, including anyone here on a visa or visiting from overseas.
Shift workers who are at work tonight and home Wednesday morning still go on your form.
A paper form holds six people. If there are more than six at your address, complete online instead using the number on the front of the form.
Complete your Census ›
The website is start.census.abs.gov.au
IF SOMETHING IS IN THE WAY
Every situation has a fix
You never got the letter, or you have lost it
You do not need it. Go to form.census.abs.gov.au/get-census-number and the ABS will issue you a Census number on the spot. You will need a mobile phone handy, because it sends a one-time PIN to confirm it is you. If you would rather do it by phone, call the Census Contact Centre on 1800 181 227.
Get a Census number ›
No computer or internet at home
Use a library computer for free. Joining the library is free and staff can sign you up at the desk in a couple of minutes, which gets you 180 minutes of computer time a day. Walk in and ask, or book ahead at reserve.cumberland.nsw.gov.au (bookings cannot be made over the phone). If you have your own phone or laptop, the library WiFi is free with no password.
Auburn Library - Civic Place, 1 Susan Street. Open until 8pm tonight.
Lidcombe Library - 3 Bridge Street. Open until 5:30pm tonight.
Please note Regents Park Library is closed for upgrade works until Monday 17 August, so use Auburn or Lidcombe this week.
Book a library computer ›
You would rather fill in a paper form
Call the ABS automated request line on 1800 130 250, which runs 24 hours and needs your 16-digit Census number, or request one online. It takes up to 10 business days to arrive, and that is fine - the ABS expects some forms to come back after Census night, as long as you answer for tonight. A Reply Paid envelope comes with it, so there is no stamp to buy.
Request a paper form ›
English is not your first language, or you want someone beside you
Call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450, ask for your language, and they will connect you to the Census staff with an interpreter on the line. The ABS is also running pop-up hubs and fill-in-the-form sessions where staff sit with you - put your postcode into the map to see what is on near you. You can also ask a family member, friend or carer to help you fill it in.
Find in-person help near you ›
What happens if you do not complete it
The Census is compulsory under the Census and Statistics Act 1905. Nobody is fined out of the blue - the ABS will contact you first, and only after a formal written direction can fines apply, up to $364 a day. It is a great deal easier to fill it in tonight, or to call one of the numbers above.
MY RESERVATION
