International sailor visiting Australia? Australian Census wants YOU!

3:33 AM Tue 9 Aug 2011 GMT

'From Oregon USA? The Australian Census wants YOU!' .

Are you an international sailor visiting Australia? The Australian Census wants YOU!

Australian Customs and Border Protection Service have partnered with the Australian Bureau of Statistics to ensure all incoming international visitors are included in the Census tonight.

'Customs and Border Protection is responsible for border clearance and screening of about 28 million passengers who enter and leave Australia each year,' National Director Passengers, Jan Dorrington, said.

'On Census night all visitors ( and that includes visiting sailors ) will be encouraged to complete a form. The information collected will be used to accurately calculate the flow of people across Australia's borders.'

Head of the Census Population program, Paul Lowe, says the Census counts everyone in Australia on Census night, no matter how long they intend to stay in Australia.

'We count everyone in Australia on Census night, including international visitors. We rely heavily on the goodwill of the community and Agencies, such as Customs and Border Protection, to assist us in getting the count right,' Mr Lowe said.

'It is important to get an accurate count of people travelling in Australia as this can determine the need for things like public transport, festivals and events, hotels or even funding for iconic landmarks.'

In the 2006 Census, more than 1.1 million people, or six per cent of all people counted, were not at home on Census night. Of these, 82 per cent were Australians, while 18 per cent were visitors from overseas.

Forms have been delivered to accommodation services around the country. Alternatively visitors can use eCensus. The personal information collected is confidential and is kept private.

More information about the Census is available online at www.abs.gov.au/census or by calling the Census Inquiry Service on 1300 338 776.

by Australian Customs

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International sailor visiting Australia? Australian Census wants YOU!

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