Today, the 18th census of the population and households in Australia is officially held. All Australians have already tried to use their civic duty in recent days, as unlike previous Censuses, it was opened a few days before a pre-determined date on August 10, in order to prevent heavy burdens on the Census website and the possible collapse of the website. happened in 2016
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) conducts a census every five years, with the aim of better covering all contemporary issues related to the diverse population of Australia. It is extremely important to collect relevant data from the census, so that the federal and state governments, as well as their various institutions, can determine the needs of certain ethnic communities, including the Serbs, on the basis of these statistics.
In this year’s census, all Australians, whether citizens or holders of permanent or temporary visas, will answer 60 questions covering a variety of data categories – from age, marital status, education, to extremely important items such as which are the origin, religious affiliation and language spoken at home.
These issues are of key importance for all Serbs living in Australia, because there is a great need to correct the mistakes that occurred in the 2016 Census and due to which the number of people of Serbian origin has been drastically reduced in official Australian statistics.
As we have already written in the previous days, the big problem on the previous census was due to poorly formulated questions in the forms, so many of our people answered “Yugoslavia” on the path they come from, considering that they were born in that country.
Also, many Serbs born in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Macedonia listed living countries and were automatically classified as corps of other peoples. Instead, at this year’s Census, it is crucial to answer all questions regarding the origin, birth and language spoken at home with: Serbia and Serbian!
Why is it important to say who we are? There are many reasons, and recently in an interview for “Vesti” John Jeremic, the treasurer of the organization of the Serbian Orthodox Youth of Australia (SOYA), listed them:
– It depends on how many people declare that they are from Serbia, of Serbian origin and that they speak Serbian at home, through state services and financing for our community. For example, Centrelink population support staff and the amount of documents translated into Serbian. Then, reciprocal recognition of pensions, services for diplomatic and consular support, financing of Serbian language schools and the presence of our language in the 11th and 12th grade. Then, numerous multicultural grants for our organizations and associations, hours of programs in the Serbian language on SBS radio and television, as well as the number of staff in the state services for cooperation with the community – says Jeremic.
This year’s census largely determines the future of our community, primarily children and young people of Serbian origin, but also elderly citizens, especially those who need health care or any kind of support and assistance.
Do you want to be asked tomorrow in a civil service if you want a translator for Croatian or Bosnian because they do not have Serbian? If you do not want to find yourself in such or a similar situation, try to clearly write on today’s Census 2021 for you and your children and other family members that you are from Serbia, of Serbian origin, Serbian Orthodox faith and that you speak Serbian at home. .
How to fill in the form?
To complete the 2021 Census form, go to census.abs.gov.au on your computer or tablet. Log in with the one-time password you received in your mailbox.
If you want to fill in the form in the traditional way, ask for the form to be sent in printed form to your home address. You can do this on the same site, by clicking on the link “Get a paper form”. It only takes a minute to order a form.
Penalties for those who do not participate
Participation in the census in Australia is mandatory and regulated by the Census and Statistics Act of 1905. If someone refuses to participate, ABS statisticians can ask the person to fill out a form, and if they refuse to participate even after receiving a warning, the person can end up on court. Without good reason, a fine and a criminal conviction generally follow.
An important issue of religion
Among the most important issues in the 2021 Census will be the religion of citizens. In this column, it is very important to write very precisely: Serbian Orthodox, that is, the Serbian Orthodox faith.
If you write only “Orthodox”, you will probably be classified as a member of the Greek Orthodox Church, which is the largest Orthodox church in Australia. For all the details and explanations on how to fill out your form, visit the website launched by SOYA, at weareserb.com.au.
Article It’s time to correct mistakes! appears first on News Online.
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