Australia won't carry King Charles's image on new $5 note

Australia has announced that it will replace the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II from its $5 currency note with a new design that will honour the history of its Indigenous culture, the country's central bank said on Thursday.

The Reserve Bank of Australia said in a statement that the decision was taken in consultation with the federal government, which supports the change. The other side of the note will continue to feature the Australian Parliament, it said.

Earlier, following Queen Elizabeth's death in September 2022, the country had said the image of King Charles would not automatically replace that of Queen's on $5 notes. It said that her picture might be replaced by Australian figures.

Authorities have said the inclusion of Queen's image on the A$5 dollar note was about her personality rather than her status as the monarch.

The Reserve Bank will consult Indigenous groups before designing the $5 banknote. The entire process of designing and printing the notes will take a number of years. Until then, the current note will continue to be issued.

Australia found itself shrouded in debate about its future as a constitutional monarchy following the Queen's death on September 8 last year. The day was marked by public mourning in Australia, but some Indigenous groups also protested the destructive impact of colonial Britain and called for the abolition of the monarchy.

Australia is a constitutional monarchy, a democracy with Charles III as its head of state. A referendum proposing a switch to a republic was narrowly defeated in 1999.

King Charles III, who became British monarch after his mother's death, is the head of state in Australia, New Zealand and 12 other Commonwealth realms outside the United Kingdom, although the role is largely ceremonial.

(With inputs from agencies)

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