Global

King Charles Will Not Appear on New Australia $5 Note

 King Charles III will not feature on Australia’s new five dollar note, the country’s central bank has announced.

The new design will pay tribute to “the culture and history” of Indigenous Australians, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) says.

A portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II appears on the current design of the five dollar note.

The Queen’s death last year reignited debates about Australia’s future as a constitutional monarchy.

“This decision by the Reserve Bank Board follows consultation with the Australian government, which supports this change,” the bank said in a statement.

“The Bank will consult with First Australians in designing the $5 banknote. The new banknote will take a number of years to be designed and printed. In the meantime, the current $5 banknote will continue to be issued. It will be able to be used even after the new banknote is issued,” it added.

The RBA currently has no plans to change the design of any other denomination of Australian banknotes, a spokesperson told the BBC.

It has not yet set a date for when it will reveal the new five dollar note design, they added.

The decision was welcomed by Aboriginal politicians and community leaders.

“This is a massive win for the grassroots, First Nations people who have been fighting to decolonise this country,” said Lidia Thorpe, a Greens senator and DjabWurrung Gunnai Gunditjmara woman.

First Nations people lived in Australia for at least 65,000 years before British colonisation, according to recent estimates.

The King became the British monarch after his mother’s death in September.

As the British monarch, he is also the head of state of Australia, New Zealand and 12 other Commonwealth realms outside the United Kingdom. The role is largely ceremonial.

The British monarch’s portrait has appeared on at least one design in every series of Australian banknotes.

However, in September Australia said the image of the new monarch would not automatically replace the Queen on its five dollar notes, and that she might be replaced by Australian figures.

Much of Australia’s currency already features Indigenous Australian figures and artworks. The A$5 banknote is the only Australian banknote to carry the image of the Queen.

In a 1999 referendum Australian voters chose to keep the British monarch as the country’s head of state.

In 2021, Australia officially changed its national anthem to remove reference to the country being “young and free”, amid calls to recognise that its Indigenous people are the oldest civilization in the world.

Follow us on:

AriseNews

Recent Posts

Ex-US Marine Pilot Daniel Duggan to Be Extradited to US Over Alleged Illegal Training of Chinese Pilots

Australia has approved the extradition of ex-marine Daniel Duggan, facing US charges for allegedly training…

2 minutes ago

Trump Nominates Billion Dollar Buyer Host Tilman Fertitta as US Ambassador to Italy

Donald Trump has selected businessman Tilman Fertitta, owner of the Houston Rockets, to serve as…

56 minutes ago

Ten Family Members Die in Private Plane Crash in Brazil

A plane crash in Gramado, Brazil, killed ten family members, including businessman Luiz Claudio Galeazzi,…

1 hour ago

Man Arrested in New York for Setting Woman on Fire in Brooklyn Subway

A suspect has been apprehended in Brooklyn subway after woman was set ablaze and died…

1 hour ago

Bridge Collapse In Brazil Kills One, Spills Sulfuric Acid Into River

A Brazilian bridge collapse has killed one person and spilled sulfuric acid into the Tocantins…

1 hour ago

Anambra Police Confirm 22 dead in Stampede as Governor Soludo Mandates Safety Protocols for Future Palliative Distributions

Governor Soludo has expressed grief over Okija stampede, urges safety-first approach for future food distribution…

1 hour ago