I was born in the United States, and the first census I was recorded on was in 1950. Because individual US census records are released after 72 years, I was able to see that original form in 2022, and discover my mother was then living with her second husband, Jesse Hammers. Her name was listed as Anemone Hammers. My name was listed under my birth father’s name, Hull. Later that year, she divorced Hammers and returned to her first husband and the name Anemone Hull.

My parents never mentioned this to my three brothers or me and, like all good family secrets, this story was never revealed while my birth parents were alive.

Through the release of the census, and searches through marriage and divorce records, we were able to piece together the story of our parents and their first five years together and apart and together again.

From the earliest family surveys in the United Kingdom, census records have been preserved, just as other government records like birth and death certificates are maintained. But for most of the history of Australian censuses, the individual forms have been destroyed, initially by accident, and later by policy.

Since 2001, we have been able to opt in to our records being saved and released after 99 years. Here’s why you should consent – and why we should have access long before a century has passed.

The insight we have........

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