Census night at sea on Leeuwin

On their most recent regional survey deployment, HMAS Leeuwin’s crew faced an unusual mission – completing the Australian Census in the middle of the ocean, proving every Australian counts, even while serving at sea. 

The Census comes as Leeuwin sits off the coast of Papua New Guinea, surveying the ocean floor around the Morobe region to help improve navigation safety and the production of nautical charts.

For more than half the crew on board, this was their first Census completed while underway, including LS Kiahnee Ellis, who is also responsible for getting Leeuwin’s results back to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

“Conducting the Census was easy to coordinate, as it’s somewhat similar to my day job as the ship’s writer,” LS Ellis said.

“With the busy life at sea of watchkeeping and the like, my biggest challenge was chasing up the crew to find the time to complete the Census.”

Being posted to Leeuwin for just over a month, the maritime personnel operator said the process started months before getting on board.

“The bureau reached out to all the ships that were scheduled to be deployed during the Census,” LS Ellis said. 

“We had a couple of meetings and conducted online training, so I knew what I needed to advise ship’s company on.

“It’s been a pretty straightforward process working with the ABS. They have been very helpful and quick to respond with any questions we had.”

Originally from Cairns, the 26-year-old said being a writer was the best job in the Navy.

“I just love being social, engaging with people, and I like helping people, which is the core of my job as maritime personnel operations,” LS Ellis said.

“Our role is very customer service-focused, and I wouldn’t do any other job.”

The ABS conducts the Census every five years and captures vital information to help the government understand how Australia is changing and what it needs to know now and in the future.