Australia Will Replace The Queen With Indigenous History On Its $5 Banknote Instead Of King Charles
Australia’s Reserve Bank said it will consult with First Australians on the design.
![Australia Will Replace The Queen With Indigenous History On Its $5 Banknote Instead Of King Charles](/content/images/size/w1200/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/australia-5-banknote-indigenous-history-queen-king-charles.jpg)
Australia’s central bank has announced the country’s new $5 note, which previously featured Queen Elizabeth II, will not include King Charles III but a design honoring Indigenous culture and history instead.
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The note had traditionally featured Australia’s head of state, but with the change, there will not be any UK monarchs on any Australian banknotes.
Australia’s Reserve Bank said it “has a proud history of recognizing the culture and history of the First Australians”, adding it will consult with First Australians on the design, which will take a number of years to be designed and printed, the Guardian reported.
The other side of the note will continue to feature the Australian parliament, it said.
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Here’s a brief history of Indigenous designs on Australia’s banknotes.
Australia’s First Ever $1 Banknote
One side of Australia’s first $1 banknote, which was issued in 1966, included imagery of Aboriginal rock paintings and carvings and designs.
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They were based on a bark painting by Indigenous Australian Yolngu artist, David Malangi Daymirringu, according to the Reserve Bank.
Australia’s First $10 Polymer Commemorative Banknote
Australia’s first polymer banknote, a $10 note issued as a one-off commemorative version in 1988, also included examples of ancient and contemporary Aboriginal art on one side.
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The designs “echo the appreciation of the art’s significance, both nationally and internationally,” according to the Australian Reserve Bank.
Aboriginal Activist Featured On Current Australian $50 Note
Australia’s current $50 banknote features Indigenous Ngarrindjeri author, activist, inventor, musician and preacher, David Unaipon.
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The $5 banknote with the Queen includes the Forecourt Mosaic, a floor mosaic outside parliament house in Canberra.
It is based on an Australian Aboriginal dot painting by Indigenous Warlpiri artist Kumantje Jagamara.