Farmer Dave has fired up over Tuesday night’s census, claiming the form appeared to discourage people from selecting “Australian” as their ancestry – but not everyone saw it that way.
The former Big Brother star touched off an online clash after questioning why “Australian” was buried so far down the list, with some agreeing it looked wrong and others saying there was a simple reason for it.
David Graham, better known as Farmer Dave, rose to fame when he memorably came out on season six of Big Brother in 2006, garnering support from both his housemates and the Australian public.
He made a return in 2022 as part of the “Royalty” lineup alongside other franchise favorites.
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One of this year’s census questions centred on ancestry, with Torres Strait Islander, English, Irish, Scottish, Chinese, Italian and German listed before “Australian” and “Other”.
“Mmmmmmmm is it just me or is this years census questions set up to dissuade Aussies from choosing Australia’s most common ethnicity which as far as I knew was Australian?,” Dave wrote on Facebook.
“It’s way down the list… make sure you check it… let’s be counted!”
Big Brother star Farmer Dave caused a stir on Facebook over his Census remark. Source: Facebook
A census question about ancestry has left people divided.
The post quickly drew a flood of reactions.
“Wow the cookedness in this post,” one commenter said.
“Yep notice how Australia wasn’t at the top of the list considering this is AUSTRALIA!!!,” another added, while a third remarked: “5th & 6th Generation Aussies in our house and also found it strange Australian not being the top of the list.”
Others were quick to push back.
“It’s not that deep – they’re just asking for your ancestry. Maybe your parents or grandparents were born elsewhere so you put that down,” one person replied.
Another wrote: “My nationality is Australian but my heritage is not.”
While only the government can explain the final order of responses on the form, the debate comes as Australia’s population make-up is shifting sharply – and so is the housing story attached to it.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional Population, June 2025
According to Australian Bureau of Statistics data released in April, one in three people living in Australia were born overseas, the highest proportion recorded since 1891.
Over the 2024–25 financial year, there were 258,000 more overseas-born people living in Australia than a year earlier.
India is now the top country of origin for Australia’s overseas-born population, overtaking England for the first time, with 971,020 Indian-born residents now living in Australia.
England slipped to second place with 970,950 residents, followed by China on 731,540, New Zealand on 637,680 and the Philippines on 412,530.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional Population, June 2025
The Indian-born population rose 6 per cent over the year, while the Chinese-born population grew 5 per cent and the English-born population increased 1 per cent.
The migration shift is also showing up in where housing demand is building.
ABS figures show inner suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne recorded some of the biggest gains in migrant populations, putting fresh pressure on apartment markets and rentals close to jobs, universities and transport.
Carlton topped the list with a net migration gain of 1787 people, followed by Melbourne CBD-North with 1305 and Sydney’s Haymarket with 1258.
REA Group senior economist Anne Flaherty said changes in the top countries of origin could offer an early signal about where demand would strengthen.
“Seeing more people coming in from certain countries gives you a signal about the areas that are more likely to see more housing demand,” she said.