Census - 9 August 2016

Smurf1976 · 2 August 2016

Bill M said:
They had an old lady on the TV last night saying she was calling the 1800 they provided for you to ask for a paper census. She couldn't get through after trying all day.

If they're insisting that people fill in the form then it should at least be possible to get one in the first place.

Not everyone owns a computer, particularly older people, and even then there will always be those who do have a computer but it's broken, they just move house and haven't set up an internet connection yet or whatever.

There's a need for paper forms and they ought to be easily available. Print a heap of them and make them available at newsagents, petrol stations, supermarkets etc at no cost for anyone who wants one. That seems like an easy solution to me - it's not as though it would cost $ billions or something like that.

McLovin · 2 August 2016

Smurf1976 said:
If they're insisting that people fill in the form then it should at least be possible to get one in the first place.

Not everyone owns a computer, particularly older people, and even then there will always be those who do have a computer but it's broken, they just move house and haven't set up an internet connection yet or whatever.

There's a need for paper forms and they ought to be easily available. Print a heap of them and make them available at newsagents, petrol stations, supermarkets etc at no cost for anyone who wants one. That seems like an easy solution to me - it's not as though it would cost $ billions or something like that.

The form has to be coded to the dwelling it is going to. The coding, AFAIK, is not done to the individual dwelling but grouped to say blocks.

A few people are ordering forms to fill out to avoid having to enter name and address information.

trainspotter · 2 August 2016

McLovin said:
The form has to be coded to the dwelling it is going to. The coding, AFAIK, is not done to the individual dwelling but grouped to say blocks.

A few people are ordering forms to fill out to avoid having to enter name and address information.

Yes ... Then they check rates notices with local shire and the State Revenue Dept. to see when you bought the property to ensure it is linked to the ATO for capital gains purposes (when you sell) etc etc.

ECHELON, originally a secret government code name, is a surveillance program (signals intelligence / SIGINT collection and analysis network) operated on behalf of the five signatory nations to the UKUSA Security Agreement””Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

It has NOTHING to do with a census but more of of an information gathering exercise to test the information they already have in place. To track down welfare cheats receiving family allowances when they are in a defacto relationship or to trap people claiming that it is a rental property when in actual fact it is their PPOR blah blah blah.

Get my drift?

Wysiwyg · 2 August 2016

I have never done a census form but I will have to this time as they have found me due to the fact I am now a mortgagor on this property. Before, I moved around renting and was never in one place long enough to be a person of interest. I don't need to be told I must give personal information. That infringes on my free will. Who I am is no ones business unless I say so.

Knobby22 · 2 August 2016

Wysiwyg said:
I have never done a census form but I will have to this time as they have found me due to the fact I am now a mortgagee on this property. Before, I moved around renting and was never in one place long enough to be a person of interest. I don't need to be told I must give personal information. That infringes on my free will.

Come on, it's not that bad. Why not help out.
Imagine the Roman census.

Wysiwyg · 3 August 2016

Knobby22 said:
Come on, it's not that bad. Why not help out.
Imagine the Roman census.

I seek reimbursement for the 1300 number I have called at 40c per call. At the moment it is 10 calls for a $4 cost!

Buy Telstra on the bonus revenue?

DB008 · 3 August 2016

First census I've ever done.

Turnbull saying the data will be kept safe.

LOL LOL LOL

noco · 3 August 2016

I do not know why there is so much resistance to this census.....Some seems to being putting up so many obstacles.

I did it on line without a hitch...15 minutes at the most.

bellenuit · 3 August 2016

noco said:
I do not know why there is so much resistance to this census.....Some seems to being putting up so many obstacles.

I did it on line without a hitch...15 minutes at the most.

You can do it already? I thought it could only be done on census night. Previously you entered for everyone staying in your house on census night, even if visiting. Is it still the same? What if I do for my son who occasionally stays over on a night he is here and someone in his household (he lives with 3 others) includes him on a night he is with them?

I agree there is too much fuss over it. They have gathered names and addresses for quite a long time now. The only thing different this time is that the keep the identification data for 4 years instead of 2. If they had nefarious intentions, then they would have plenty time to do them in 2 years.

SirRumpole · 4 August 2016

bellenuit said:
You can do it already? I thought it could only be done on census night. Previously you entered for everyone staying in your house on census night, even if visiting. Is it still the same? What if I do for my son who occasionally stays over on a night he is here and someone in his household (he lives with 3 others) includes him on a night he is with them?

You have to do it on the night if you are going online. A lady came and left the form with me and since I know who will be there on the night I just filled the form it and will post it.

Bill M · 4 August 2016

SirRumpole said:
You have to do it on the night if you are going online. A lady came and left the form with me and since I know who will be there on the night I just filled the form it and will post it.

It doesn't say it has to be done on the night.

It says, "Please complete the census on Tuesday 9 August 2016". I will be doing mine around 4 PM or so when it is quiet and most people are still at work, so should be quick and easy. Who knows the website might crash at 8PM when you got a few million doing it.

qldfrog · 4 August 2016

bellenuit said:
You can do it already? I thought it could only be done on census night. Previously you entered for everyone staying in your house on census night, even if visiting. Is it still the same?

still same and you should not do it in advance.
The fact that based on that entry you could fill it in advance make a mockery of the census; how can anyone know where he will be next week?
i play no God myself...

bellenuit said:
I agree there is too much fuss over it. They have gathered names and addresses for quite a long time now. The only thing different this time is that the keep the identification data for 4 years instead of 2. If they had nefarious intentions, then they would have plenty time to do them in 2 years.

no they have not in the previous if you did not want to, and if you read again, the only option you have is to prevent them releasing the name data publicly in 99 year..yep not joking;
None of the info I have to fill is not known already from the ato and centerlink.
I will make sure they can exercise their data cross checking before forwarding to the NSA

noco · 4 August 2016

qldfrog said:
still same and you should not do it in advance.
The fact that based on that entry you could fill it in advance make a mockery of the census; how can anyone know where he will be next week?
i play no God myself...

no they have not in the previous if you did not want to, and if you read again, the only option you have is to prevent them releasing the name data publicly in 99 year..yep not joking;
None of the info I have to fill is not known already from the ato and centerlink.
I will make sure they can exercise their data cross checking before forwarding to the NSA

I was given a pass word and when I completed it I was issued with a receipt #.

Tisme · 4 August 2016

The bloke in charge of the ABS said something like we have until September XX to complete and submit. so old people don't panic about the forms coming.

I wonder how much the unforeseen cost of the unforeseen extra 100 phone staff, unforeseen extra phone lines, unforeseen extra postage is, weighed against just sending everyone a paper copy with the option of internet participation in the first place? (I don't believe our Scott Morrison and the $100m saving when he opens his congenitally misleading lips).

Logique · 4 August 2016

What are the odds of a server crash at 6:30pm on census night.

I don't recall name details ever being kept before, let alone for 4 years.

Not sure yet whether to complete on paper or online. Probably online, but only after a complete system scan and in incognito mode.

bellenuit · 4 August 2016

Collecting Names and Addresses

qldfrog said:
no they have not in the previous if you did not want to, and if you read again, the only option you have is to prevent them releasing the name data publicly in 99 year..yep not joking;
None of the info I have to fill is not known already from the ato and centerlink.
I will make sure they can exercise their data cross checking before forwarding to the NSA

Yes, you are correct. I was basing my information on what was said by the ABS guy on ABC's 7:30 last night (maybe it was Lateline). Apparently it has been collected before, but only on a voluntary basis. I am surprised the interviewer didn't pick him up on this.

qldfrog · 4 August 2016

noco said:
I was given a pass word and when I completed it I was issued with a receipt #.

amazing so if you happen to go to hospital after a steak knife cut on the night, you will be counted twice
Not blaming you but a census like that, it is a joke,so one more good reason not to trust such incompetence, as for data safety and public service.....

noco · 4 August 2016

qldfrog said:
amazing so if you happen to go to hospital after a steak knife cut on the night, you will be counted twice
Not blaming you but a census like that, it is a joke,so one more good reason not to trust such incompetence, as for data safety and public service.....

I do hope I will survive until August 9....Just had a repair completed which should give me another 12 months lease of life....LOL.

qldfrog · 4 August 2016

noco said:
I do hope I will survive until August 9....Just had a repair completed which should give me another 12 months lease of life....LOL.

sure but you see my point, as a minimum, the online connection should ask you to try again: you can be late: fair, but should not be able to fill earlier.
I know that statistically:it does not matter but when you add this to people like me who will fill...as they feel it let's say..ensuring I do not get fined but also that my data is unusable for negative purpose.it may add up, actually I wish it does. might also include a few cartoon characters to my household to ensure the local road network get properly sized
I was happy to fill my last census accurately..not anymore.
Make your own mind, this country really needs a human right/5th amendment protection, we are still treated as convicts except that the rulers have changed and were from the rank..once...

McLovin · 4 August 2016

bellenuit said:
I agree there is too much fuss over it. They have gathered names and addresses for quite a long time now. The only thing different this time is that the keep the identification data for 4 years instead of 2. If they had nefarious intentions, then they would have plenty time to do them in 2 years.

That's not entirely correct. The use of names and addresses has in the past has been for data quality, ie if you ask someone to put their name and address on something the answers they give will more truthful. I don't have a problem with that, I think the Census is of great benefit.

The names and addresses were never collated into a database, they were destroyed. The ABS is being disingenuous in saying they kept names and addresses for 18 months in the past. Names and addresses were kept until the data had been processed or 18 months had passed. This time around the names and addresses are being kept for four years (that seems to be a recent change, it was initially open ended) and added to a database "for a richer experience" or whatever phrase they are using.

The ABS has given some very weak reasons for this (I've only heard the example of better measuring aboriginal life expectancy, which seems like a worthwhile endeavour, but doesn't really mean much to this inner city white male), and to be honest have done a p!ss poor job of explaining why there is any need at all to keep such sensitive information. My beef is that the tradeoff with the Census is I'll give you (the ABS) highly private information about my life, and in return you don't know who is giving you the information. Once they change their rules, I change mine.

I also point out that the online census logs your IP address. Handy thing for a government to have when they are capturing meta data too.

Census - 9 August 2016

Smurf1976

McLovin

trainspotter

Wysiwyg

Everyone wants money

Knobby22

Mmmmmm 2nd breakfast

Wysiwyg

Everyone wants money

DB008

noco

bellenuit

SirRumpole

Bill M

Self Funded Retiree

qldfrog

noco

Tisme

Apathetic at Best

Logique

Investor

bellenuit

qldfrog

noco

qldfrog

McLovin

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