Australia to Remove , British Monarchs , From Future Bank Notes.
Associated Press reports that Australia
made the announcement on February 2.
Australia's central bank said that
the new five dollar bill would feature an
Indigenous design that will replace King Charles III.
However, AP reports that the king will continue
to appear on coins that currently bear
the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Australia's five dollar bill was
the nation's last remaining bank note to still
feature the likeness of the British monarch.
According to Australia's Reserve Bank,
the decision came after consultation
with the center-left Labor Party government. .
AP reports that opponents of
the move claim it was
politically motivated.
According to the central bank, the new five dollar bill will replace the portrait of the queen, who died last year, with an image that honors, “the culture and history of the First Australians.”.
The monarch will still be on the coins,
but the $5 note will say more about our
history and our heritage and our
country, and I see that as a good thing, Jim Chalmers, Australian Treasurer, via Associated Press.
In 1999, Australians voted in a referendum proposed
by the Labor government to keep the British
monarch as Australia's head of state.
AP reports that Queen Elizabeth II appeared
on at least 33 different currencies,
more than any other monarch, at one time.