Census night quirk can make lived-in homes ‘empty’

Australians away from home on Census night can have their usual residence recorded as unoccupied, fuelling confusion about how many homes are genuinely sitting empty. More than a million Australian homes are expected to be recorded as “unoccupied” in this week’s Census, and the misnomer has experts worried about political fallout. Australians away for work, on holiday, in hospital or staying elsewhere will have their usual residence counted as empty on Census night. But experts have warned the little-known quirk of the nation’s biggest data collection exercise could soon see pundits misinterpreting “unoccupied” as those that are deliberately being left vacant. RELATED: ‘Already eaten’: Parents’ brutal cost-of-living lie ‘We quit’: Block stars storm off, go into hiding Nadia Bartel’s cult fashion brand to open new store Housing Industry Association senior economist Tom Devitt said a home being unoccupied on Census night was very different from being an empty, available home. “Unoccupied is not vacant,” Mr Devitt said. “If you’re on holiday, away for work, staying with family, in hospital, or simply somewhere else, your home may be unoccupied. “It hasn’t suddenly become a vacant home...