Residents across the Tamworth region have started to receive their census paperwork - but the Australian Bureau of Statistics expects at least one-third of all of us will elect to go online to complete our details this time around.
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The 2016 census is expected to be the biggest online event in Australia with hopes for about 65 per cent of the population filling their forms out online. But the demographics already suggest the Tamworth region might not square up to that figure with more of us electing to fill out the forms with paper and pen. The 2016 Census of Population and Housing advertising campaign is underway now and Tamworth and northern residents will start to get their details for the 17th national census in mailouts from next week.
About one-third of us will get a letter asking us to complete the census online - and about two thirds of us will get a paper form of it - but we can elect to fill it out in whatever form suits us best. Armidale architect, mother and grandmother, Mahalath Halperin is the Tamworth area census district manager, coordinating some 167 field officers who are preparing to help drop off and also collect papers from mid August to late September.
They will also help coordinate drop offs to places like hotels, hostels, nursing and retirement homes, boarding schools and hospitals. Ms Halperin's Tamworth census area runs in a big loop from south of Uralla to Walcha Rd, Woolomin and Nundle, towards Scone and Gloucester and west towards Dubbo and the Pilliga, Barraba and back through Tamworth towards Uralla.
Ms Halperin's Tamworth-based area includes some 45,000 private dwellings but strategies include how they can also catch up the homeless for the census, including visiting soup kitchens. Field officers will also visit places like parks and community centres to distribute forms. The 2011 census showed the Tamworth area had some 99,014 residents. Census night is August 9 - but Ms Halperin is also encouraging early bird responses if you know where you're going to be that night and you can complete it earlier.
"Those who get the letter can still request a paper form and those who get the form can still complete the Census online if they wish. Last Census, 26% of people completed the Census online in Tamworth so we anticipate higher completion rates this time," an ABS spokeswoman said.
The letters will be addressed To the Resident and include a unique login and instructions on how to complete it online.
