# Australians: it's census night tonight. Who's doing the online option? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 9, 2011, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042 "2011-08-09T06:21:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/21 "2011-08-16T06:18:56Z")
I finally filled mine in yesterday and was at work when the collector called again. My son had no idea where it was so the collector suggested I leave it on the front porch. No thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/22 "2011-08-16T06:39:51Z")
I was clever enough to hit the send button. I think. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/23 "2011-08-17T00:10:31Z")
If you do you get a new screen with a receipt number (it may not have been called exactly that), did you see that? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/24 "2011-08-19T11:09:22Z")
> [@Bookkeeper](#): > > Canada had our census last year, with the option of filling it in online available for the first time, so of course I availed myself of it! Um - wasn’t it this year? [2011 Census](http://census2011.gc.ca/). ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/25 "2011-08-19T12:51:08Z")
I’m still waiting for the census guy to come back. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/26 "2011-08-20T00:32:23Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > I’m still waiting for the census guy to come back. I saw our census woman this morning, collecting the remaining forms. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/27 "2011-08-20T01:03:19Z")
Random trivia from my life: My son - born in April - is the second in the family to have his name combination - Thomas Alan (Surname). The first bearer of that name was his great grandfather, and I realised after he was born that the first Thomas Alan would have been 100 years old this year, which I thought was rather a neat coincidence. Futzing around on Ancestry this week, I realised Thomas Alan I was three months old at the time of the 1911 UK Census. Our Thomas Alan II was, of course, three months old at the time of the 2011 Australian Census. I like number coincidences. 🙂 Our collector left a note in our mailbox to say she’d been back for the form but we were our. I left a message for her yesterday on the mobile number she provided, but haven’t heard back yet. I should have done it online but… I like filling in forms. Yes, I’m a ball at parties. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/28 "2011-08-22T10:04:42Z")
Well I was and still am in hospital. I think my dad filled mine out for me. My first census in hospital ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/29 "2011-08-22T12:41:13Z")
After doing mine online, two nights later there comes a really loud hammering on my door. Now usually at any knock I just go and open the door but this was so furious I turned on the outside light and timidly asked, "Yeah, who is it?’ “Oh, sorry you’re ticked off as lodging online,” said my friendly census collector. Dickhead. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/30 "2011-08-22T14:03:19Z")
> [@madrabbitwoman](#): > > Well I was and still am in hospital. I think my dad filled mine out for me. My first census in hospital If you were in hospital on census night, the hospital should have had a census person going around with the forms (individual, not household). You were not supposed to be included in the household where you normally reside. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/31 "2011-08-22T17:23:10Z")
Sorry aaI meant that dad fiillled out the hospital one for me. I was in no fit state to do it myself census nght ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/32 "2016-07-28T05:19:39Z")
Just got my letter for this quint’s census, I wonder if one can do it two weeks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/33 "2016-07-28T05:27:20Z")
This bump just frighted the shite out of me, I thought it was tonight.:eek::o I’ll have a look when I get home tonight if I have something in the mail, if so I’ll do it online. Pretty sure you can’t do it in advance as you have to account for anyone staying there on the night, whether they normally live there or not. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/34 "2016-07-28T05:59:16Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > This bump just frighted the shite out of me, I thought it was tonight.:eek::o Well I wouldn’t say it frightened me but it did come as a shock. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/35 "2016-07-29T01:25:07Z")
I miss **Cunctator** - hasn’t posted in a long time. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/36 "2016-07-29T12:49:17Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > This bump just frighted the shite out of me, I thought it was tonight.:eek::o Crap, me too! ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/37 "2016-07-29T12:54:27Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > This bump just frighted the shite out of me, I thought it was tonight.:eek::o Crap, me too! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/38 "2016-08-08T09:43:47Z")
I posted twice in this thread five years ago. I have absolutely no memory of filling the census in back then. My circumstances are quite different this time, it will be a clusterfuck to get it done properly in this nutty household. For those keeping track, this year’s Census is to be completed tomorrow, i.e. Tuesday. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/39 "2016-08-08T10:38:58Z")
Since I was out of Australia for most of 12 years, this will be the first Australian census for me since 1996. (I was counted in two censuses in the United States over that period) ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042/40 "2016-08-08T11:05:08Z")
Er, um, … Why exactly are y’all ‘frightened’ to learn it’s census day? Just what do they do to Aussies who miss the census or fail to respond? Firing squad? Heavy fines? Shunning? Exile? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/australians-its-census-night-tonight-whos-doing-the-online-option/592042.md?page=3)