Australia plans to remove the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II from the $5 note, replacing it with an image that honors Indigenous cultural values.
The Reserve Bank of Australia said on Thursday the decision came after the bank sought government views to support a new design. On the other side, the image of the Australian Parliament will still be used.
This comes as the Australian Labor government pushes for a referendum on constitutional amendments to recognize indigenous people. and requires the government to consult with indigenous people before making any decision. which affects their way of life
The death of Queen Elizabeth II last year has sparked debate about Australia’s future as a constitutional monarchy. Constitutional monarchy, with a referendum in 1999 showing that only slightly more than half of Australians still want the British monarchy as head of state.
The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, a Republican politician, said when the Queen died in September that “this is not the right time” for Australia to discuss the role of the monarchy.
However, Peter Dutton, leader of the opposition Liberal Party, revealed in an interview with radio station 2GB that the decision to remove the Queen’s image from the banknote “There is a political motive.”
“There is no doubt that this is an order from the government. And I think the Prime Minister is responsible for this,” he said.
The Australian government has previously suggested that the portrait of King Charles III will not replace the Queen. “Automatically” on the $5 bill, and there is a possibility that a portrait of an important Australian figure will be chosen for publication instead.
The Reserve Bank of Australia will hold consultations with Indigenous organizations on the design of the new $5 note. which is expected to take “years” to design and publish. In the meantime, the bank will continue to issue $5 notes with the Queen for distribution.
The $5 note is the only note in Australia to feature a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, while Australian coins are clearly specified to bear the portrait of the British monarch. This means that new minted coins will have to be replaced with a portrait of King Charles III.
Source: Reuters
