Privacy and Security Information
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is bound by the Census and Statistics Act 1905,
to maintain the confidentiality of the information supplied to us. The information you provide
to the ABS via eCensus is kept secure through the use of the strongest available encryption
technology, and at no time will data from this census be released by us.
We have made the eCensus as secure as possible. Before using eCensus it is important to
consider the security of your own PC. Click on this link for information on
protecting your PC.
To ensure that your information is delivered to us securely, we have used Secure Socket Layer
technology with 128-bit encryption. To make use of this technology, you need to ensure that
your browser is compatible. Users of Internet Explorer will need Version 5.01 or higher,
Netscape users will need Version 7.0.2 or higher and users of Firefox will need Version 1.0 or
higher.
Your Census Form Number and eCensus Number(s) are the keys to the information you provide via
eCensus. To ensure the protection of this information from access by a third party, please ensure
you keep these numbers confidential.
The ABS logs the following information to assist in the development of the eCensus:
- type and version of your operating system;
- type and version of your browser;
- error messages;
- the 'Help' and information pages accessed;
- requests to logon, exit and complete eCensus; and
- the date and time of your eCensus submission.
No attempt will be made to identify you as a user, or your browsing activities except in the
unlikely event of an investigation, where a law enforcement agency may exercise a warrant to
inspect the service provider's logs. The ABS will not release any detailed information from
these logs.
The ABS web site is accredited and maintained to Commonwealth Government Internet security
standards to maintain the confidentiality and/or integrity of information you provide to the
ABS via eCensus. These standards meet or exceed Australian information security management
standards (AS/NZS 4444).
The information you provide via eCensus will be kept secure at all times. If you prefer not
to complete your census form via eCensus, you can complete a paper form. If you do not have
a paper census form, please call the Census Inquiry Service on 1300 362 883 who will arrange
for one to be delivered to you.