Ruqayyah Snyder
Australia's banknotes feature a variety of notable figures, including poets, monarchs, and activists. The $5 note features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on one side and a picture of the Parliament House in Canberra on the other. The $10 note showcases the poets AB 'Banjo' Paterson and Dame Mary Gilmore, with extracts from their works included in the design. The $20 note features John Flynn, founder of the Flying Doctor Service of Australia, alongside a camel and an aircraft. Australia's banknotes have also featured Queen Elizabeth II since 1966, and the country plans to introduce tactile features to help the visually impaired.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of denominations of banknotes | 5 |
| Denominations | $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 |
| People depicted on the currency | A greater number of women than men |
| People on the $5 note | Queen Elizabeth II, Old and New Parliament House in Canberra |
| People on the $10 note | Poets AB 'Banjo' Paterson and Dame Mary Gilmore |
| People on the $20 note | John Flynn, a Havilland aircraft Victory, a camel |
| People on the $50 note | Not mentioned |
| People on the $100 note | Not mentioned |
| Other features | Holographic security feature, microprint, tactile feature |
| Changes | In 1984, the $1 note was replaced by a $1 coin, and the $2 note was replaced by a smaller $2 coin in 1988 |
| In 1988, the Reserve Bank of Australia issued $10 notes in plastic | |
| In 1992, the $5 note was made of polymer | |
| In 2016, the $5 note was updated with a tactile feature to help the visually impaired community | |
| In 2018, a new $50 note was released | |
| In 2019, a new $20 note was released | |
| In 2020, a new $100 note was released | |
| In 2023, the new $5 note will feature an Indigenous design instead of Charles III |
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What You'll Learn
The $5 note
The Australian $5 note was first issued in May 1967, 15 months after the currency was changed from the pound to the dollar. It was designed by Gordon Andrews, with Russell Drysdale as the artistic advisor. The first issue was a paper note with a mauve gradient and a distinct black overprint. It featured portraits of Sir Joseph Banks and Caroline Chisholm. Chisholm worked to improve conditions for immigrants, helping them find work and shelter, and facilitating passage to Australia for families. Banks was a naturalist who sailed with Captain James Cook to Botany Bay in 1770. The note also included elevations of Sydney streets from Joseph Fowles' "Sydney in 1848", the cover of the Shipping Gazette, a watercolour of the Waverley, and a handbill of a meeting of the Family Colonization Loan Society.
The first polymer version of the $5 note was introduced in July 1992. This featured Queen Elizabeth II on one side and Caroline Chisholm on the other. The combination of these two figures was one of the few in the world to feature only women. The decision to include the Queen's portrait was criticised, as it replaced Caroline Chisholm. The Reserve Bank defended its decision, explaining that the monarch's portrait always appeared on at least one banknote, and that as Australia was a constitutional monarchy, it was still appropriate to depict the Queen.
On 1 September 2016, the Next Generation Banknote (NGB) $5 was issued, with a major design update. This series contains more security features than the previous series, including a clear top-to-bottom window. A minor update to the signatures was made in 2019.
A commemorative $5 note was issued on 1 January 2001 to celebrate Australia's Centenary of Federation. This featured Sir Henry Parkes on the obverse and Catherine Helen Spence on the reverse. Spence led the way for women's rights in Australia, and Parkes was a prominent politician often referred to as the 'Father of Federation'.
In February 2023, the Reserve Bank of Australia announced that King Charles III will not appear on the new $5 note, and that a design celebrating First Nations peoples will appear instead. The new design will honour the culture and history of Indigenous Australians.
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The $10 note
The 2017 $10 note, designed by Max Robinson, features Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson on one side, with a horse from the Snowy Mountains region, a wattle plant, and his signature. His poetry is in the background. Banjo Paterson was an Australian-born poet, ballad writer, horseman, and journalist. He is most famous for works such as Waltzing Matilda and The Man from Snowy River.
On the other side of the note is Dame Mary Gilmore, with a bullock train and verses from her poetry, as well as her signature. Gilmore was a poet, author, journalist, and campaigner against inequality and deprivation. She campaigned for a huge range of causes, including the right of women to vote and better treatment for Indigenous Australians and poor people. A windmill is in the clear window with raised wavy lines.
The 2017 note retains the themes of the original, featuring the Bramble Wattle (Acacia victoriae) and the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita). The sailing ship HMS Supply anchored at Sydney Cove, with the early colony in the background, is also included in the design. Above are people who symbolise all who have contributed to Australia, from the early settlers on the left to the modern working man on the right. The reverse design reflects Australian Aboriginal culture and peoples.
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The $20 note
Reverend John Flynn, on the other hand, pioneered the world's first aerial medical service, now known as the Royal Flying Doctor Service. He was instrumental in establishing the Presbyterian Church's Australian Inland Mission, a network of nursing hostels. He believed that a 'mantle of safety' could only be created through an aerial medical service and the introduction of radio communications. The $20 note features a De Havilland DH.50 biplane Victory supplied by Qantas, a representation of the pedal wireless invented by Alfred Hermann Traeger, and Coledge Harland, the man on the camel, who was a missionary to the inland people of Australia.
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The $50 note
David Unaipon, a Ngarrindjeri man, was an inventor, musician, preacher, and Australia's first published Aboriginal author. He was also a proud advocate for improving the conditions and rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Unaipon played a vital role with the mission church Raukkan Church at Point McLeay as an organist and inspirational lay preacher. He was awarded a Coronation Medal in 1953 and was posthumously awarded the FAW Patricia Weickhardt Award for Aboriginal writers in 1985. He also predicted the development of the helicopter, applying the principle of the boomerang.
Edith Cowan, the first woman in an Australian Parliament, was a social worker and a founding member of the Children's Protection Society, which was instrumental in establishing the Children's Court, where she was one of the first women appointed to the bench. Cowan was also involved in fundraising and lobbying for the King Edward Memorial Hospital, which opened in 1916 to improve medical services for women. She helped found the Women's Service Guild, which advocated equal rights of citizenship.
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The $100 note
In May 1996, a green polymer note was released, designed by Bruce Stewart. The polymer issue features portraits of soprano Dame Nellie Melba and engineer, soldier, civic leader, and First World War commander Sir John Monash, along with images from the First World War. The new polymer series also included a 'tactile' feature to help the vision-impaired community distinguish between different denominations of banknotes.
The latest $100 note, released into circulation on 29 October 2020, retains the key aspects of the existing design, including the colour, size, and people portrayed. This note celebrates Sir John Monash's contributions to the building-construction industry and his service as a commander in the First World War. It also celebrates Dame Nellie Melba's career as an internationally renowned soprano, performing in Australia, Europe, and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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Frequently asked questions
The $5 note is the only current Australian banknote that does not have an actual person on both sides. One side features Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, while the other features a picture of the Parliament House in Canberra.
The $10 note features poets AB 'Banjo' Paterson and Dame Mary Gilmore.
The $20 note features John Flynn, who created the Flying Doctor Service of Australia. It also includes a picture of the Havilland aircraft Victory and a camel, a reference to the 1913 Patrol Padres.
The $50 note was introduced in 1973. As of 18 October 2018, a new $50 note with upgraded security features was released for circulation.
