Being counted matters — Mayor’s Census plea for Bourke
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
Story: Kristin Murdock and Rod Corfe
Government funding and services for small Outback shires like Bourke, Brewarrina and Walgett rely heavily on knowing how many people live in and use our region.
That is why Bourke Shire Mayor Lachlan Ford is concerned that Bourke could be left with a significant gap in that picture if more residents don’t complete the 2026 Census.
With only around 50 per cent of Bourke township believed to have completed their Census information, Councillor Ford is urging residents who have not yet participated to do so before the cutoff date at the end of August.
Cr Ford said Census data had real consequences for regional communities, where population and demographic information was used by governments and organisations to make decisions about funding allocations and service provision.
“The information that comes out of the Census gets used for pretty much every organisation in Bourke that is funded,” Cr Ford said.
“It all comes down to how many people live in your region, how many people are travelling through your region, and all of that comes back to how we get our funding.
“A lot of our towns, are heavily funded by the government, and we need that assistance. And so, we need to capture who’s here and what they’re up to.”
“The news that probably only around 50 per cent of Bourke township have completed their Census information leaves us with a fairly big hole in our data.”
While Cr Ford said participation in the Bourke Shire’s villages had been higher than in Bourke township, more needed to be done.
“Our village numbers completing the census were a lot higher, which is great, but we still want to try and capture everyone,” he said.
“It’s just so important for all of our communities, not just Bourke, but our villages as well.”
People can also easily complete the Census online and the process is quick and painless.
“Just jump online, type in Census on your Google search, and it’s very easy,” Cr Ford said.
“I did it for a couple of people after I did a plug about the importance of the census online. They approached me down the street, and 10 minutes with a phone and you’re done.”
Visitors who were in Bourke on Census Night were also part of the picture, with Cr Ford noting it had been a busy period for tourism following the Louth Races and other activity in the region.
“I think it would have been quite a busy night in Bourke for tourism,” he said. “And all the visitor data is captured as well.”
For Cr Ford, the message is simple – being counted helps provide a clearer picture of Bourke and its communities when decisions about funding and services are made.
“There are quite a few options to complete the form, which must be done by August 31,” he said. “It’s not too late, so please get behind it.”
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