Locals are being reminded to be prepared to complete forms for Census night on Tuesday 11 August. The Census is a snapshot of Australia to tell the story of how things are changing. In the Census, every answer matters to give information to help understand the needs of Australia now and into the future. The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2026 National Census provides an insight into how Temora is changing in a range of aspects in comparison with the previous census completed in 2021. By comparing the results with the previous Census, a picture of change emerges. The 2021 Census showed the population of Temora had dwindled by 76 people between 2016 and 2021. It recorded 6034 people in Temora, down from 6110 in 2016. 2021 data also showed a total of 88.8 per cent of the Temora population was born in Australia, which is much higher than the national figure of 66.9 per cent. The highest population in Temora by age are those aged between 60 and 64 years and 70 to 74-year-olds, each consisting of 7.8 per cent. From population growth, weekly household income and property ownership, to cultural diversity and religion and health matters, much will have changed from the previous census over a five-year period. People in Temora who stated in the 2021 Census that they followed no religion totalled 24.7 per cent - a huge increase from the 14.5 per cent of Temora’s population who stated they were not religious in 2016. In 2021, most of the Temora population stated they were Catholic (25.9 per cent), closely followed by Anglican (23.2 per cent). In relation to medical conditions, data on long-term health issues across the whole population is critical in informing planning and service delivery decisions about how treatment and care are provided. Census data is also used to inform decisions about transport, schools, health care, infrastructure and business in the community and on a national level. The Census results will also reveal if the population of Temora is dwindling or on the increase. Visit www.census.abs.gov.au for more information.
