2022-23 Review of the Australian Standard Classification of Religious Groups (ASCRG) - Consultation Round 2

Overview

In 2022, the ABS began a major review of the Australian Standard Classification of Religious Groups (ASCRG) and the associated Religious Affiliation Standard (RAS; How we ask the religion question in the Census of Population and Housing). The review will update the ASCRG to reflect the modern Australian community. Changes to RAS are being considered in the 2026 Census Topic Consultation process which is a separate process to the ASCRG Review.

This consultation will provide an opportunity for the public to comment on the proposed changes to the ASCRG. These changes have been developed based on consultation with stakeholders to date, analysis of 2011, 2016, and 2021 Census data, research and the classification criteria (Australian Standard Classification of Religious Groups, 2016 | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au)).

ASCRG Topic Consultation Collection Notice

This Collection Notice explains the collection and use of personal information as part of the public consultation phase of the ASCRG review process.

Who is collecting your personal information?

Your personal information is being collected by the ABS and ABS’s technology service provider for the consultation, Delib.

The ABS Privacy Policy for Managing and Operating Our Business provides details about how we (the ABS) manage and protect your personal information. 

How is your personal information collected?

As part of making a submission, you will be providing your personal information to the ABS through our Consultation Hub. The Privacy Notice for the Consultation Hub explains how we use Delib and its technology (Citizen Space). We (the ABS) manage the website and Delib provides the technology behind this service and its operation. Delib’s Privacy Notice explains how Delib will collect, safeguard, and process your data on behalf of the ABS.

What personal information is collected?

For the ASCRG review consultation, the ABS will collect and hold the following personal information that you provide: 

• Contact name (required)
• Organisation (required, where relevant)
• Email address (required)
• Your opinions on the proposed changes to the ASCRG

Contact details are required for the ASCRG consultation submissions to allow for follow-up. During the consultation phase of the ASCRG, follow-up allows the ABS to clarify the information provided, where necessary and ensure that any negative impacts based on proposed changes to the classification are minimised or mitigated.

How will your personal information be used?

The ABS will use your submission to inform the review of the ASCRG and in preparation for the 2026 Census. The ABS will not publish individual submissions from this consultation. However, the ABS will publish a summary, in the form of ‘We Asked, You Said, We Did’ on the Consultation Hub.

We may also use your name and email address to contact you if we have follow-up questions in relation to your submission. If you consent to receiving email updates regarding the ASCRG review process, we will also use the email address you provided to send these updates to you.

How will your personal information be managed?

We comply with the Privacy Act 1988 and the Archives Act 1983 in the storage, use and destruction of your personal information collected.

When personal information is collected as part of the ASCRG review  consultation, it is stored in secure data centres in Australia.

The hosting provider for Delib (AWS) meets all Australian Government privacy and data storage requirements. The ABS will analyse your submission in the Delib system. Your submissions will be deleted from Delib data stores once analysis of all submissions is complete for the ASCRG review process.

The ABS will also extract a copy of your submission shortly after you make your submission and store this in the secure ABS environment. The ABS Privacy Policy for Managing and Operating Our Business provides details about how we (the ABS) manage and protect your personal information stored in ABS systems. Your full submission, including name (if provided) and email address, will be stored in this environment no later than 2030. We will then remove your name and email address and store a de-identified version of your submission for record keeping purposes.

• If you have not consented to receive email updates from the ABS regarding the ASCRG review process, your personal information will not be stored by the ABS.
• If you have consented to receive email updates from the ABS regarding the ASCRG review process, we will store your name and email address until we notify you that the review has been finalised.
• You can revoke your consent to receive email updates at any point in time. If you revoke consent, your personal information will be removed.

Who will your personal information be shared with? Does anyone else have access to your personal information?

As the technology service provider, Delib will only access your personal information when requested to do so by the ABS, and only for the purposes of assisting with the administration of the site.

Except for Delib in their data processing role, the ABS will not:

• share information in a way that would identify you or your organisation(s) without your consent
• share information with private organisations, such as direct marketing companies
• share information with other government agencies for compliance or regulation activities.

The ABS Privacy Policy for Managing and Operating Our Business provides more information about how we handle your personal information.

How to access and correct your personal information

Contact the ABS Privacy Officer using the details provided below if you need to access or correct your personal information. If the information you provided in your submission changes, you can contact standards@abs.gov.au.

How to update your submission

A submission cannot be edited in the Consultation Hub once it has been submitted. If the consultation is still open, you can provide a new submission. Please contact (standards@abs.gov.au) to request removal of your original submission.

You can revoke your consent to receive email updates by emailing standards@abs.gov.au.

Privacy complaints

The ABS Privacy Policy for Managing and Operating Our Business has information about how you can make a complaint if you feel we have not adequately protected your privacy. The Policy describes how we will respond to your complaint, and what you can do if you are not satisfied with our response.

You can contact the ABS Privacy Officer (details below) who will respond to enquiries or assist with complaints.

ABS Privacy Officer contact details

By email: privacy@abs.gov.au

By post: ABS Privacy Officer
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Locked Bag 10, Belconnen ACT 2617

Why your view matters

This consultation process is an opportunity for individuals and organisations to provide feedback on the proposed changes for inclusion in the next version of ASCRG, to be published in March 2024. This is the final round of public consultation before the release of the updated classification and will remain open for 11 weeks.

Submissions are sought regarding any inaccuracies, unintended significant impacts of the proposed changes, as well as any key implementation issues for users. Alternative suggestions, accompanied with documentation and evidence, including data, to support your claims are encouraged.

The information you provide will be used in the finalisation of the updated classification and to prepare for the 2026 Census.

To make a submission:

1. Please read the information papers:

• 2022-23 Proposed changes
• 2022-23 ASCRG Review FAQs
• 2022-23 ASCRG Review Survey Questions

All papers are linked under the heading Related at the bottom of the ABS Consultation Hub Overview page.

2. A link is provided on the ABS Consultation Hub for the ASCRG Review Survey where you will be guided to provide feedback through a series of questions. You are not required to respond to every question, although your submission will be strengthened by your ability to answer as thoroughly as possible and by providing supporting evidence.

The closing date for submissions is 28 November 2023.