Tomorrow is census night, with all Australians needing to take part. And you face a big fine if you lie on the form.
Census spokesman and Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkarthat taxpayer money was being forked out to pay ethical hackers “to see if they could find vulnerabilities in the system”. Friendly hackers find vulnerabilities in companies’ cyber networks, and report them to the companies rather than exploit them themselves.
Mr Sukkar admitted that hackers have already been trying to attack the integrity of the census website.“We know the usual range of state and non-state actors have an interest in disrupting what is a really important data collection exercise.” In a statement to news.com.au, an ABS spokesman said the government engaged in “assurance activities” such as “ethical hacking”.RELATED: Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar has revealed that state and non-state actors have been trying to hack to census website, with more attacks expected. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary RamageHackers may have attacked the website in the previous census, but they didn’t get hold of any data. The ABS says the information you give is not shared with any other government departments or agencies such as the police, Australian Taxation Office or Centrelink. It is legally bound to protect the privacy of everyone and will not release information in a way that will identify any individual or household.Census staff can face penalties of up to $26,400 or imprisonment for up to two years, or both, if confidentiality is broken.However, they won’t do this if you opt in for your information to be stored in the National Archives of Australia, where it will be held for 99 years and then released publicly in a kind of time capsule. Mr Sukkar said the government had hired friendly hackers to test out the website’s weaknesses. File photo. Picture: Jens Schlueter/Getty ImagesThe census is mandatory and if you don’t take part it can lead to a fine. The ABS website says: “The Census is compulsory. Everyone who is staying in your household on Census night must be included. This includes visitors and babies.Under the Census and Statistics Act 1905, you can be issued a Notice of Direction, which directs you in writing to complete the census.These are the key dates to watch out for.By early August 2021 – Households receive instructions on how to take partAfter census night – Households who have not responded will receive reminder letters and visits from census staffJune 2022 onwards – Release of 2021 census data starts There are fines of $222 a day for not completing the census. If you lie, you will be fined 10 times that amount, at $2200.The census form asks a lot of specific questions about yourself – such as how much money you make and how much your rent or mortgage costs. With such specific questions, it’s possible you might make a mistake and get a number wrong in your response. On their website, the ABS has assured census respondents that you won’t be punished if you make a mistake.What happens if I lie on the census form? “It’s important to know that it’s an offence to provide false or misleading statements or information,” the ABS warns.
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