Trump has begun another trade war. Here's a timeline of how we got here
Canada's leader laments lost friendship with US in town that sheltered stranded Americans after 9/11
Chinese EV giant BYD's fourth-quarter profit leaps 73%
You're an American in another land? Prepare to talk about the why and how of Trump 2.0
Chalk talk: Star power, top teams and No. 5 seeds headline the women's March Madness Sweet 16
Purdue returns to Sweet 16 with 76-62 win over McNeese in March Madness
By Lewis Jackson
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia will include questions on sexual orientation and gender in its census for the first time, after more than a week of controversy over the centre-left Labor government's earlier decision to exclude them.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Sunday the 2026 census would include sexual orientation and gender, although he declined to specify the questions and said the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) would design them later.
"We have listened to the LGBTIQ+ community to make sure that we can work with the ABS to deliver this really important change when it comes to the 2026 census," he said.
"We say to Australians from the LGBTIQ+ community: you matter, you've been heard, you will be counted."
The questions will be optional and only asked of those over 16 years of age.
The move reverses an August decision to exclude questions about LGBTIQ+ identity.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said then the government did not want to open up divisive debates. He denied any political motives behind the decision amid media reports that the government was apprehensive about sparking a culture-war-style campaign ahead of an election likely to be called within nine months.
The United Kingdom added an optional question on sexual orientation in its 2021 census for the first time.
(Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
