Australia has decided to change Queen Elizabeth’s Image on its currency note. The portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on Australia’s A$5 currency note will be replaced with a new design to reflect and honor the country’s Indigenous culture, the country’s central bank announced on Thursday.
The Reserve Bank of Australia announced the decision after consulting with the federal government, which supports the change. According to the statement, the other side of the note will continue to depict the Australian Parliament.
The death of Queen Elizabeth last year reignited debates in Australia about the country’s future as a constitutional monarchy. In a 1999 referendum, voters narrowly chose to keep the British monarch as the country’s head of state.
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.
Australia in September 2022 said the image of King Charles would not automatically replace Queen Elizabeth on A$5 notes, and that she might be replaced by Australian figures.
Authorities have said the decision to include the queen’s image on the A$5 dollar note was about her personality as opposed to her status as the monarch.
The decision to update the note comes as Australia’s center-left Labor government pushes for a referendum, required to alter the constitution, to recognize Indigenous people in the document, and require consultation with them on decisions that affect their lives.
Australia officially changed its national anthem in 2021 to remove references to the country being “young and free,” amid calls to recognize that its Indigenous people are the world’s oldest civilization.
The Reserve Bank stated that the A$5 banknote would be designed in consultation with Indigenous groups. The new banknote will take several years to design and print. The current note will be issued until that time.
