The Australian five dollar bill is the only one featuring the effigy of a British monarch, Elizabeth II. And everything indicates that it will be the last. As announced by the Central Bank of the country, her heir Charles III of England will not have the honor of taking over from her mother, since the queen will be replaced by an illustration that serves as a tribute to aboriginal culture.
The same banking authority has indicated that Aboriginal populations will be consulted on a new design that aims to honor the culture and history of early Australians. The design and printing will take “several years”, according to the Central Bank, which also clarified that the current banknotes with the image of the late queen that are already in circulation will continue to be legal tender.
The Australian government decreed a day of national mourning after the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, since, as a Commonwealth member country, Australia has the English king as head of state. However, the death of the queen reopened from the beginning a deep debate in this country -as well as in others in the Commonwealth- about the need for the country to continue having a foreign monarch as head of state. Along these lines, some indigenous groups have denounced the destructive consequences of British colonization and have explicitly called for the abolition of the monarchy.
The Reserve Bank of Australia stated that its decision was supported by the Labor government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who also does not close the door on a possible transformation of the country towards a republican system.
The party that most advocates getting rid of a foreign head of state is the Republican Movement, whose leader Craig Foster has taken the opportunity to celebrate the decision of the Central Bank. “First Nations Australians deserve to see themselves reflected in our Constitution, our system of government and all national symbols, including our currency,” he said. And he added: “The idea that a person can figure in our currency due to his blood right is irreconcilable, as is the idea that he can be our head of state by birthright.”
It should be noted that British sovereigns have been on Australian banknotes since 1923. And, in fact, between this year and 1953, the year of Elizabeth II’s coronation, they were present on all banknotes in circulation. The queen’s face graced the one pound note, and then the new one dollar note from 1966. This first one dollar note also featured images of Aboriginal rock paintings and engravings and motifs inspired by a bark painting by the artist indigenous David Malangi Daymirringu. Since 1992, Australians have only been able to see Queen Elizabeth’s features on the $5 note.
