Liberal Party’s only Jewish MP Julian Leeser slams Census for failing to include box for Judaism

The Liberal Party’s only Jewish MP in Federal Parliament says the Census should have included a tick box option for Judaism to reflect the contribution of the Jews to Australia since 1788.

Julian Leeser, an Opposition frontbencher, has criticised the Australian Bureau of Statistics for failing to include an option for Judaism among 10 options in the religion section of the August 11 Census.

“I would like to see Judaism listed as a religion on the Census,” he told The Nightly.

“Jewish people have been part of this country since the First Fleet, and as a general rule I would like to make it easier, rather than harder, to be recognised and accepted as a Jewish person in this country.”

The ABS went on the offensive this week after News24 presenter Peta Credlin wrongly suggested Judaism had been dropped as a tick-box option in the 2026 Census.

“Judaism has not been removed as an option from the Census form, as it has never been a pre-filled response option on the Census religion question,” it said in a media release on Tuesday.

The 1991 Census introduced seven tick box options, but Judaism wasn’t on that list and hasn’t been in subsequent Census surveys.

The 2001 Census introduced an instruction noting Judaism as a potential option that could be written in alongside Salvation Army, Hinduism and Humanism.

That was also the year Islam and Buddhism debuted as tick-box options on the Census.

The 10 pre-filled choices on the 2026 Census reflect the 10 most common religions cited in the 2021 Census and include, in order, no religion, Catholic, Anglican (Church of England), Islam, Hinduism, Uniting Church, Buddhism, Presbyterian, Greek Orthodox and Baptist.

Hinduism became a pre-filled option in 2016, less than a decade before Indians became Australia’s most common migrant group.

The last Census in 2021 counted 99,956 people of the Jewish faith or ancestry, making up just 0.39 per cent of Australia’s then population of 25.4 million people.

That was based on Jewish Australians having to write in Judaism on their Census form.

Despite their small number in Australian society, notable Jewish leaders have included Isaac Isaacs, the first Australian-born governor-general, celebrated World War I general Sir John Monash and former treasurer Josh Frydenberg.

In business, high achievers include Holocaust survivor Frank Lowy, who established the Westfield shopping mall group, and apartment developer Harry Triguboff.

The arts have included music industry promoter Michael Gudinski, actor Henri Szeps and comedian Sandy Gutman, better known as Austen Tayshus.

The Labor Party has three Jewish MPs in Federal Parliament, including former attorney-general Mark Dreyfus, Josh Burns and Mike Freelander but none of them are in the ministry.

While Jewish groups as encouraging Jews to write “Judaism” on their Census form, social media campaigns have in the past encouraged Australians to write “Jedi Knight” from Star Wars in the religion section.

“The ABS is aware of campaigns aimed at influencing individuals’ responses to the 2026 Census question on religion,” the ABS said.

“Material is circulating online and through social media that suggests people respond in a way that is inconsistent with the intent of the question. “

Religion has been asked at every Census since the first one in 1911, which was taken a decade after Australia became a nation at Federation.