[unsignedqword]

In the US, Census data is used for redistricting purposes, which CAN influence election outcomes in the future - so the implications of a census may be wider than you think. I don't know exactly the way it works in Australia, but some googling has led me to believe they use a system that is similar.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redistribution_(Australia)

[Haydos585x2]

Another major problem with the census was the Australian Bureau of Statistics holding onto the data and changing their privacy policies which meant that in an act of protest a ton of people entered false information or ommitted details. A really poor census overall.

[cyberferret]

Absolutely, I didn't mean to downplay the importance of a national census. It is just that the results are used for longer term project planning and policy making, so the effects aren't as immediate as a whole government inadvertently being kicked out or brought into power as a result of an election day debacle.