The new A$5 note will not feature King Charles III of the United Kingdom, but a new design that pays homage to “the culture and history of early Australians”, its central bank announced on Thursday.
The design will replace the portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said in a statement, adding that the decision was taken after consultation with the Australian government.
The bank will consult with First Australians to design the A$5 note, which could take several years to issue, he added.
First Australians refers to the country’s indigenous population, or First Nations people, made up of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, descendants of the world’s oldest continuous culture who have occupied the continent for over 65,000 years.
Together, they represent about 3.2% of the country’s population of 25 million people.
Meanwhile, the current A$5 note will continue to circulate and remain legal tender even after the introduction of the new note, according to the RBA.
Officials also said existing coins bearing the Queen’s image will remain legal tender “forever”.
King Charles III will continue to appear on the coins, which the Royal Australian Mint is due to start producing “in the second half of this year”, Andrew Leigh, deputy minister for competition, charities and treasury, told ABC Radio in an interview.
The mint said it hopes to reveal the design of the first King Charles III coins early this year.
Billions of banknotes and coins around the world depicting Queen Elizabeth II are in the process of being replaced after her death last September.
The Queen’s image is emblazoned on some banknotes and coins across the Commonwealth – an association of 54 countries, almost all formerly colonized by the United Kingdom.
In Australia, the Queen’s portrait “has been depicted on every series of Australian banknotes since her coronation,” spanning seven decades, according to the RBA.
Source: CNN Brasil
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