King Charles dumped in $5 note redesign
King Charles won’t take over from his mother on Australia’s $5 note, with the Reserve Bank announcing it’s going with a new design honouring First Nations peoples
READING LEVEL: ORANGE
Australia’s $5 note is set to get a redesign that will see King Charles III dumped from the legal tender.
The portrait of the British head of state*, which traditionally adorns* our smallest value banknote, will be replaced with a new design which “honours the culture and history of the First Australians“, the Reserve Bank announced on February 2.
“The other side of the $5 banknote will continue to feature the Australian parliament,” the RBA said.
“This decision by the Reserve Bank board follows consultation with the Australian government, which supports this change.”
The new $5 note is not expected to enter circulation for a number of years as the central bank consults with First Australians on the redesign.
“In the meantime, the current $5 banknote will continue to be issued,” the RBA said.
“It will be able to be used even after the new banknote is issued.”
The new note is expected to contain a First Nations design rather than a portrait of a specific person.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers welcomed the announcement, insisting the change “struck the right balance”.
“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,” Dr Chalmers said.
A portrait of Queen Elizabeth has featured on the Australian $5 note for decades, but following her death last year the government flagged* that King Charles would not automatically replace her.
Dr Chalmers stressed that while the government had been consulted on the change, the decision rested with the Reserve Bank.
Australian Republic* Movement chair Craig Foster called the royal snub* an “important symbolic* step” on the path to breaking away from the monarchy*.
“To think that an unelected king should be on our currency in place of First Nations leaders and elders and eminent* Australians is no longer justifiable* at a time of truth telling*, reconciliation* and ultimately formal, cultural and intellectual independence,” he said.
However, not everyone is pleased with the change.
The chair of the Australian Monarchist League, Philip Benwell, blasted the move.
“It is certainly not Australian democracy* and it is certainly not what the people voted for in May 2022,” he said.
Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton agreed, and accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of not being upfront* with the Australian people before winning power.
“If it’s a decision they’ve made, own it, just be responsible and put your hand up and say this is the reason we’ve made it,” Mr Dutton said.
“I think it’s another attack on our power systems, on our society and our institutions.”
Mr Dutton claimed changes to the national anthem, the flag and even the name of Australia would be next on the government’s list.
GLOSSARY
- head of state: the highest representative of a country. Australia’s head of state is the king
- adorns: decorates
- monarch: king or queen
- flagged: suggested a possibility
- republic: a form of government where the people elect their representatives and has a president as the head of state, rather than a monarch
- snub: ignore or refuse to acknowledge someone
- symbolic: serving as a symbol, which is something that stands for or represents something else
- monarchy: a form of government that has a monarch as the head of state
- eminent: famous and respected
- justifiable: able to be shown to be right or reasonable
- truth telling: when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have the opportunity to record evidence about past actions and share their culture, heritage and history with the broader community
- reconciliation: formal effort to strengthen relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples
- democracy: means ‘rule by the people’ in Greek. It is the system where people elect their government and therefore decisions made by the government should reflect what most people want
- upfront: open and honest
EXTRA READING
Can you crack secret code in new 50c coin?
How Australia’s money has changed
Young Aussies quite keen on Queen
QUICK QUIZ
- Which note will no longer show the monarch’s face on one side?
- What will the monarch’s face be replaced with?
- What is on the other side of this note?
- Which organisation announced this decision?
- Who is the federal Opposition Leader?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. An unbalanced story
This news story is written in a balanced way. It presents the facts and then tells us about two opposing opinions on what has happened.
Try rewriting the story in an unbalanced way. Take the biased point of view of either a supporter of the monarchy or an Australian who believes we should become a republic.
Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
2. Extension
Write a second unbalanced story from the alternate point-of-view.
Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
VCOP ACTIVITY
Imaginative dialogue
Imagine it is your job to tell King Charles that his portrait will not be on the Australian $5 note.
Create a conversation between you and the king. Don’t forget to try to use facts and details from the article to help make your dialogue as realistic as possible.
Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.