A “deflated” Victorian mayoress fears the census results of her small town on the Murray River could affect the availability of services to the community.
Key points:
- Swan Hill Mayor Jade Benham says census data collection “should be looked at”
- She and others say the population of Robinvale is about twice what official statistics say
- Ms Benham says impact on services is “a matter of public safety”
The population of Robinvale increased to 3,740 in the 2021 census, a moderate increase from the 3,313 recorded in 2016.
But the city’s actual population may be closer to 8,000, according to an independent study funded by the Swan Hill Rural Council that examined water consumption and anonymous bank and supermarket transactions.
To try to better reflect the population of the region in data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Jack Dang of Robinvale Network and Neighborhood House helped raise awareness before last year’s census.
Jack Dang says there is more work to be done, but he is happy to see an increase in the numbers. (Provided by: Robinvale Network House)
He said it was difficult to obtain accurate information in a region with a large population of multiethnic and seasonal workers.
“A lot of people didn’t realize that this is not an immigration count,” he said.
“People think it’s because of immigration and they say, ‘I won’t raise my hand,’ because there are a lot of undocumented people here.
“So we need to get the message across, in many different languages, that it’s not about immigration, it’s about services.”
“A matter of public safety”
According to ABS data, the population of Robinvale has declined in each census since 2006.
Swan Hill Mayor Jade Benhan. (Provided by: Jennifer Douglas)
Swan Hill Mayor Jade Benham said it had a significant impact on the area.
“We’ve had banks, Mallee Family Care, TAFE, MADEC, Haven Home Safe, all these services coming out of Robinvale at a knot rate due to an alleged population decline,” he said.
“It also means that emergency services have few resources.
“We still don’t have a police station open 24 hours a day.
“For a town with 8,000 inhabitants, this is a matter of public safety for me.
“Unfortunately, government agencies and bureaucracies … only listen to ABS data.”
Ms Benham said the timing of the census in August 2021, during a deadlock and a quiet period for seasonal workers, may have contributed to the “disappointing” results.
“I was expecting more than 5,000,” he said.
“Seeing only that fraction go up … you feel like a deflated balloon to be honest.
“There’s a system crash somewhere: I think you have to look at the way census data is collected.”
The Australian Bureau of Statistics was contacted for comment.
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“Any promotion is a victory”
Dang said the small increase in population data was a step in the right direction.
He said holding meetings with community members and conveying information in different languages was effective.
“I will take it as a victory; any promotion is a victory,” he said.
“We will be more proactive next time.
“We only started hammering it really three months before, this time, so it will take a few more censuses before we get it right.
“We have to be constantly hitting it for the next four years.”
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