Government is to start conducting censuses every five years, Home Affairs Minister David Burch told the Senate yesterday.

He was speaking during a debate on two pieces of legislation related to the 2010 census, which were both approved in the Upper Chamber.

The Statistics Act (2010 Census) Order and the Statistics Act (2010 Census) Regulations establish that this year's census — the first in ten years — will take place on Thursday, May 20.

Detailed questions will range from health and employment to births, marriages and what type of Internet connection people have.

Sen. Burch said the information collected for the census would be published and would therefore be available to agencies outside Government. He urged anyone in need of a job to apply to be a canvasser for the 2010 census.