An Australian monarchist group has put forward its own proposed design for the new $5 note, weeks after the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) unveiled the theme for the design competition.
The final design of the new note has not yet been officially chosen, but if the Australian Monarchist League had their way, a portrait of King Charles III would be returned to the note.
The monarchist group’s proposed design would have King Charles on the note’s right, an image of Uluru on the left, and Indigenous artwork in between.
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Australia’s $5 note has been printed with the face of the late Queen Elizabeth II since 1992.
In 2023, the RBA announced it would not have a portrait of the monarch on the new notes.
When the new designs are revealed by the RBA they will have the theme “Connection to Country,” and will instead celebrate Australia’s Indigenous communities.
The other side of the note will continue to show Parliament House in Canberra even after the redesign.
The monarchist league has been vocal about their criticism of the decision to remove King Charles III from the note.
“I believe all Australians would be proud of this note,” AML Spokesperson Jack Barton said.
“Unlike the Labor Government’s divisive decision to remove the portrait of the sovereign from the $5 note, this design is a testament to the shared journey between Indigenous Australia and the Westminster Parliamentary system underpinned by our constitutional monarchy.”
The group will formally submit the design to the RBA.
The RBA announced in 2023 it will replace the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on one side of the note with a “design that honours the culture and history of the First Australians” following the monarch’s death in 2022.
It is expected the new banknote will take several years to be designed and printed.
Australia’s $5 banknote in its current form began circulating in 2016.
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