#australiancensus

[daltemor]

"قسم به جمال انارکلی، این چنین خواهد شد" #MyAncestryHazara #AustralianCensus https://www.instagram.com/p/CR46uG6jm9ZJUMXWcsaHpXBf4R5O0H7FNXO8oA0/?utm_medium=tumblr

[technologyycomnew-blog]

What’s the deal with the Australian Census?

Each and every one of us, in Australia had to complete a form on Tuesday 9th of August. Some had to complete it online. Others would have received a letter with a form to complete. 

This form is call the ‘Census’ of populations and Housing. It is the “largest statistical collection undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics” (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016, para. 2).

Luckily for me (I’m living in a building), all I had to do was to complete my paper form and hand it in to the reception. Yes, I could’ve done it online but I was happy that I did not choose to do that. In fact, the Census website “crashed or failed to load” (Census 2016: Will you be fined if you fail to fill it out due to #CensusFail? 2016). Let me tell you, thousands of people weren’t happy about that. Many of people tweeted and re-tweeted using the hashtag “Census Fail” (Census: Survey back online as angry Malcom Turnbull warns ‘head will roll’ 2016).  It is a shame, and a lot of people were probably stressed, anxious, angry and afraid... It is understandable as firstly, if the site was under cyber-attack, this meant that each and every individual and personal information could had been stolen by hackers. Adding to that, if you did not complete an online or paper form you will received a fine, “up to $180 a day” (#CensusFail: Why people are worried about the census 2016). Luckily for those who did not get the chance to complete a form you still have “until September 23 to fill in the online Census” (Census: Survey back online as angry Malcom Turnbull warns ‘head will roll’ 2016) and won’t receive a fine.

I believe that the idea of doing a Census can and is a great idea, to be able to know how many people live and are in Australia. So that the government is able to “distribute funds and plan services” (The 2016 Census: How does it work and do I have to take part? 2016) (education, hospital, environment…etc.) And also to help organize “informed decisions on policy and planning issues” (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016, para. 5) to improve Australians lives.

The downside, is that I feel that asking too much information could make people feel unsafe, for others it was considered as an invasion of their own privacy. Many people weren’t happy with giving their information and did not want to answer all the questions nor did they want to spend time completing their form; adding to that the website crashed. It did not get better especially considering that “the ABS failed to explain their decision, failed to inspire the public, failed to tell the public there was a problem, and then failed to explain themselves afterwards” (Bevan 2016).

- Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016, Get Online on August 9, viewed 12 August 2016, via AusStats database. <http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/getonline?opendocument&navpos=110>

- The 2016 Census: How does it work and do I have to take part? 2016, ABC news, viewed 13 August 2016, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-01/how-does-the-census-work-explainer/7676914>

- Census 2016: Will you be fined if you fail to fill it out due to #CensusFail? 2016, ABC news, viewed 12 August 2016, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-09/census-2016-will-you-be-fined-if-you-don't-complete-survey/7711744>

- Bevan, M 2016, ‘The biggest #CensusFail: Communication with the public’, ABC RN news, viewed 12 August 2016, <http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/the-biggest-census-fail-was-in-communication-with-the-public/7715506>

- #CensusFail: Why people are worried about the census 2016, ABC news, viewed 11 August 2016, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-01/census-2016-why-are-people-worried-about-the-census/7678198>

- Census: Survey back online as angry Malcom Turnbull warns ‘head will roll’ 2016, ABC News, viewed 12 August 2016, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-11/census-malcolm-turnbull-slams-abs-over-failure/7718584>