Headlines: ABS confirms changes to 2026 Census

Today's stories include:

The 2026 Census will include a new topic on sexual orientation and gender and changes to 10 existing topics, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has confirmed. 

National high school completion rates have improved for the first time since 2017, according to new Government data. 

European leaders will meet for crisis talks over fears Ukraine has been shut out of U.S-Russia peace talks in Saudi Arabia. 

And today’s good news: The first AFL Indigenous All Stars game in a decade has drawn record crowds.

Hosts: Emma Gillespie and Billi FitzSimons
Producer: Emma Gillespie

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
From The Daily Oz. I'm billy, I'm emma. It's Monday,
the seventeenth of February. He's what's making headlines this evening.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
The twenty twenty six census will include a new topic
on sexual orientation and gender and changes to ten existing topics,
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has confirmed. It comes after
the government announced gender and sexuality questions would be included
in the next survey following backlash over its handling of
the issue last year. According to the findings of a

(00:37):
census topic review handed down today, the twenty twenty six
census will ask for sex recorded at birth. Non gender
terms will also be added to the household and Family
Relationship section to be more inclusive, and a new topic
on sexual orientation and gender will apply to over sixteen
year olds. The new topic will include two questions. The

(00:59):
exact wording of the questions will be published by the
end of the year.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
National high school completion rates have improved for the first
time since twenty seventeen. According to new government data, the
percentage of students staying at school from year seven until
year twelve rose to around eighty per cent in twenty
twenty four. Up from seventy nine per cent in twenty
twenty three. For First nation students, this figure increased from
fifty five point nine per cent to fifty six point

(01:27):
seven percent. Meanwhile, the number of full time teaching staff
rose by around three percent last year. A staffing boost
has led to improved student to teacher ratios, which fell
to an average of twelve point nine students to one teacher.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
European leaders will meet for crisis talks over fears Ukraine
has been shut out of US Russia peace talks in
Saudi Arabia nearly three years since Russia invaded Ukraine. American
and Russian officials are expected to attend negotiations to end
the conflict the US this week. However, the White House
has not confirmed any Ukrainian officials have been invited. It's

(02:06):
prompted French President Emmanuel Macron to call an urgent meeting
of EU leaders on Monday in Paris. In an op
ed for British newspaper The Telegraph, British PM Kiir Starmer
confirmed he would be attending and urged the US and
Europe to work together to deter Russian aggression. Starmer said
he's prepared to send British troops to Ukraine. I do

(02:27):
not say this lightly, he wrote, but any role in
helping to guarantee Ukraine's security is helping to guarantee the
security of our continent.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
And today's good news. The first AFL Indigenous All Stars
game in a decade has drawn record crowds. Nearly thirty
eight thousand fans showed up to watch the All Stars
forty three point victory over Fremantle at Perth Stadium on Saturday.
Around ten thousand spectators attended the last AFL Indigenous All
Stars round in twenty fifteen. This year's pregame schedule included

(03:00):
a Guard of honor made up of past players, partners,
Indigenous AFL W players and non playing All Stars squad members,
and an All Stars war cry led by Saint Kilda
star Bradley Hill. North Melbourne co captain Jay Simpkin was
awarded Player of the Match.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
That's the latest from the Daily OS newsroom. If you're
looking for something else to listen to, make sure you
catch up on today's deep Dive, where Billy and Zara
explain Elon Musk's role in the White House.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
We'll be back tomorrow morning with another deep dive. Until then,
have a great evening. My name is Lily Maddon and
I'm a proud Arunda Bunjelung Calcottin woman from Gadigol Country.
The Daily oz acknowledges that this podcast is recorded on

(03:50):
the lands of the Gadighl people and pays respect to
all Aboriginal and Torres Strait island and nations. We pay
our respects to the first peoples of these countries, both
past and present.