Make your volunteering count in the 2026 Census

What is a Census?

Every five years, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) counts every person and household in Australia. This is called the Census of Population and Housing. The next Census is on Tuesday 11 August 2026. The Census form asks questions about your age, country of birth, cultural background, living situation, work and education. This year, the Census will also ask about unpaid and voluntary work you have undertaken in the last 12 months. In the Census, every answer matters to help us understand what New South Wales and Australia needs now and into the future. Census data is used to inform decisions about transport, schools, health care, infrastructure and business. It also helps plan local services for individuals, families and communities.

How to include your volunteering in the Census

Volunteers

In this year’s Census, you will be asked about unpaid (voluntary) work for an organisation which could include for sporting teams, youth groups, charities, schools or religious organisations. The question (#53 in the Census Household form) that you will be asked is:

In the last twelve months did the person spend any time doing unpaid voluntary work for an organisation or group?

How to answer this question

Think about any voluntary help given in the form of time, service or skills to a club, organisation or association. This could include:

• helping at organised events and with sports organisations
• helping with organised school events and activities
• helping in churches, hospitals, aged care homes and charities
• school students taking part in student government in their schools
• other kinds of volunteer work (for example, emergency services, or serving on a committee for a club or community group).

Do not include:

• work for a family business or any other paid employment
• work done to receive a government payment
• work done as part of completing study
• work done because of a court or community service order

This question appears in the Census Household form like this:

To answer this question, you are required to mark the box with a dash (—) to show Yes, you did do unpaid voluntary work or No, you did not do unpaid voluntary work.

Why it’s so important to include your volunteering in the Census

In the volunteering sector, data talks. In the Census, your volunteering data is invaluable, so that we can understand the true number of volunteers in New South Wales. This information means that, as a peak body, we can advocate on your behalf for better funding, resources and recognition. It also helps the government understand volunteer impact which will directly influence policy and funding decisions and ultimately ensure investment goes where New South Wales communities need it most.

How to include your volunteer leader role in the Census

Volunteer leaders, managers, coordinators, supervisors

If your job involves managing, coordinating, leading, training or supervising volunteers, this year is the first time you can use the official title Volunteer Coordinator as your occupation in the Census. This title is the officially recognised title for volunteer leaders and matches the ABS data. It is the only title the ABS recognises for volunteer leaders.

The question (#42 in the Census Household form) that you will be asked is:

In the main job held last week, what was the person’s occupation?

How to answer this question

If you lead volunteers in any way as part of your job, including managing, coordinating, leading, training or supervising volunteers, please use the official title “Volunteer Coordinator” as your job title. This title is the officially recognised title for volunteer leaders and matches the ABS data. It is the only title the ABS recognises for volunteer leaders.

This question appears in the Census Household form like this:

To answer this question, you will be required to write or type into the boxes provided using capital letters as follows: VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR. Even if your job title is different, we encourage you to use the title “Volunteer Coordinator” so that we can accurately count how many people do this important job in New South Wales.

Why it’s so important to use the “Volunteer Coordinator” job title

Using the one official job title Volunteer Coordinator, will ensure we can accurately report on the number of people who are employed in this kind of job across the state. This is the first time we will know how many people manage, coordinate, lead, train and supervise volunteers in New South Wales. This information means that, as a peak body, we can advocate on your behalf for better funding, resources and recognition. It also helps the government understand your impact which will directly influence policy and funding decisions and ultimately ensure investment goes where New South Wales communities need it most.