The Royal Controversy
A big decision concerned the name of the new currency unit.
Views varied widely from traditional labels such as 'pound' and 'dollar' to more distinctively Australian names such as 'Austral'.
A public naming competition seeking suggestions 'with an Australian flavour' added nearly 1 000 names to this list including such exotic suggestions as 'Oz', 'Boomer', 'Roo', 'Kanga', 'Emu', 'Koala', 'Digger', 'Zac', 'Kwid', 'Dinkum' and 'Ming' (the nickname of Prime Minister Menzies).
In June 1963, with no clear consensus having emerged on a name, the Government decided to name the new currency the 'Royal'. Treasurer Harold Holt explained that the Government saw this name as 'emphasising our link with the Crown' and as being 'a dignified word with a pleasing sound.'
Between June and September 1963, the Bank's Note Printing Branch developed a variety of design concepts for the Royal notes.
Some of the designs were simple adaptations of the existing 1953/54 10 shilling note. Most of the notes were not developed beyond the stage of sketches, stylised images and basic colour schemes.
An interesting feature of some of these note designs is that they were labelled as Reserve Bank of Australia notes, rather than Commonwealth of Australia notes.
The Royal designs were not completed because of widespread opposition to the name 'Royal' for the new currency.
Just three months after announcing the 'Royal' decision the Government conceded on 19 September 1963 that the name of the currency unit would be the 'Dollar'. This decision won quick and general public approval.
Early Designs of 'Dollar' Currency Notes
The decision to adopt the dollar made necessary the design and production of a new series of notes with a fairly short leadtime.
Preliminary designs by four artists, under the general artistic direction of noted artist Russell Drysdale, were completed by March 1964.
Some of the designs not used are shown here.
Australia's First Decimal Currency Notes
In April 1964, designs by Gordon Andrews were accepted and detailed design work began with the specialist firm, Organisation Giori in Milan, Italy. New note printing machinery was obtained from the UK.
The new $1, $2, $10 and $20 notes were issued on 14 February 1966 in line with the timetable set back in 1963. A $5 note was issued the following year.
Compared to the previous currency note series, the decimal notes were more clearly 'Australian'. This was the key criterion in the brief given to the designers.
The new notes captured the country's history and its contribution to the wider world. There was by now less attention on people who had explored Australia and on Australia's economic development.
The notes gave more prominent recognition to Aboriginal culture; Women; Australia's unique environment; Architecture and the arts; and Australia's contribution to aeronautics
First decimal series
The front of Australia's new $1 note bore a portrait of the Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, and a representation of the Australian Coat of Arms.
The Coat of Arms conformed with the Royal Warrant of 1912 but was rendered in Aboriginal artistic style, marking a sharp break with the regal style of the pre-decimal notes.
The back of the note was distinctive with an interpretation of an Aboriginal bark painting by David Daymirringu and of other paintings and carvings.
Despite reduced attention to representing economic development, Australia's agricultural industries continued their reign as important features on our currency notes, with wool and wheat symbolised on the $2 note.
John Macarthur (1767–1834) and the wool industry featured on the front of the $2 note. Macarthur and his wife, Elizabeth, contributed to the development of the colonial wool industry, especially through the use of high-quality Spanish sheep to breed the Australian merino.
William James Farrer (1845–1906) played a major role in developing wheat varieties more resistant to rust disease and to drought. His work culminated in the production of the variety, Federation, which allowed wheat farming to advance into drier areas.
As Gordon Andrews remarked in 1966 '…it would have been suicide to have left the sheep out…'.
Sir Joseph Banks and a collage of unique Australian flora featured on the $5 note. The $5 note featured a woman, other than the Monarch, for the first time on Australia's currency notes. The portrait of Caroline Chisholm is set against a background of the women and children, sailing ships and Sydney foreshore of her time.
Sir Joseph Banks (1743–1820) was with Captain James Cook at the landing at Botany Bay in 1770. He played a major role in exploring and collecting many aspects of natural science in his travels with Cook. Though returning to England, Banks remained influential in the administration of the colony and in botanical studies of Australia.
Caroline Chisholm (1808–1877) first arrived in New South Wales in 1838. She worked to establish better conditions, including suitable employment and accommodation, for young migrant women. Her work expanded to include facilitating the passage to Australia of families. What Australia needed most, in her view, were 'good and virtuous women'.
Sydney's early architect Francis Greenway, and Henry Lawson, one of Australia's best known poets and short story writers, were shown on the $10 note.
Francis Greenway (1777–1837) was convicted of forging a contract and transported to New South Wales in 1814. A trained architect, Greenway was soon employed by Governor Macquarie in the planning and supervision of public buildings. His work included the Hyde Park Barracks and St James Church, located near the present RBA head office, Macquarie lighthouse at South Head and St Matthews Church, at Windsor.
Despite a harsh and impoverished childhood and an acute hearing problem, Henry Lawson (1867–1922) became one of Australia's best known authors. His writings captured the mateship and hardships of the 'underdog' in the gold fields and outback sheep country.
The profile of Henry Lawson on the $10 note was accompanied by scenes of his childhood years, mainly from the gold town of Gulgong in New South Wales. These scenes were identified from photographs in the Holtermann Collection which came to light in 1951.
Charles Kingsford Smith and Lawrence Hargrave appeared on the $20 note. They symbolised Australia's significant contribution to aviation and aeronautics.
Sir Charles Kingsford Smith (1897–1935) won the Military Cross as a fighter pilot in World War I. In 1926, he set records for a round Australia flight and in 1928, with Charles Ulm and two Americans, made the first successful flight across the Pacific in his aircraft, the Southern Cross.
Later flights included the first return trip to New Zealand, the then fastest flight from Sydney to London (12 days and 18 hours!) followed by his first flight round the world. From 1930 to 1935, Kingsford Smith was engaged in the development of airmail services between Australia and England. His aircraft disappeared on a flight from England to Australia in 1935.
Lawrence Hargrave (1850–1915) worked for a time at Sydney Observatory before devoting years to research on human flight. He experimented extensively with various types of engines and kites and devised the famous cellular or box kite. This work was a big influence on European and American efforts at powered flight. The $20 note included representations of some of his drawings of kites and flying machines.
Inflation and the Note Issue
High inflation was a major problem during the 1970s and 1980s. One result of inflation was a call for new coins and larger-denomination notes.
The life of $1 and $2 notes became progressively shorter as they circulated more rapidly to make small-value transactions. The replacement of these notes by coins – a $1 coin in 1984 and a $2 coin in 1988 – helped reduce costs of maintaining the currency in sound condition.
A $50 note was issued in 1973 and a $100 note in 1984.
These higher-denomination notes added to the range of symbols of Australian society on our decimal notes with representations of Australia's contribution to medicine, veterinary science, geology and astronomy based on the underlying themes of research and discovery.
Higher-denomination decimal notes
The $50 and $100 notes were the first higher-denomination notes on issue for many years.
The front of this $50 note, designed by Gordon Andrews, depicted laboratory research and academic life with a portrait of Sir Howard Florey.
Sir Howard Florey (1898–1968), an Adelaide-born pathologist, played the vital role in the development of penicillin as an antibiotic drug. For this work, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 1945. Between 1960 and 1965, Florey was the President of the Royal Society, a position also held at one time by Sir Isaac Newton. He was also a founder of the Australian National University.
The back of the $50 note symbolised research into the environment and outer space with a portrait of Sir Ian Clunies Ross.
Sir Ian Clunies Ross (1899–1959), a veterinary scientist, is best remembered for his work on parasites affecting livestock and his leading role in the CSIRO. An outstanding public speaker, he sought to bring scientific discoveries to wider public attention.
The ‘discovery’ theme underpinned designs by Harry Williamson for the $100 note.
Sir Douglas Mawson (1882–1958) was featured on the front of the $100 note. Mawson's scientific contributions ranged over a wide area of geology and physics and included three expeditions to the Antarctic. The design depicted Mawson in his Antarctic gear against a background of geological strata formations which he studied in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia.
John Tebbutt (1834–1916) was a pioneer astronomer who helped to lay the foundations for Australia's involvement in astronomy with the discovery of major comets. Tebbutt's portrait is thus set against representations of his observatory at Windsor, New South Wales, and elements to symbolise the sky and comets.
Introducing the New Decimal Notes
In the lead up to the introduction of decimal currency there was a concerted program to educate the public. This included extensive media coverage, including the famous Dollar Bill campaign.
In come the dollars and in come the centsto replace the pounds and the shillings and the pence.Be prepared folks when the coins begin to mixon the 14th of February 1966.
Clink go the cents folksclink, clink, clink. Changeover day is closer than you think.Learn the value of the coins and the way that they appearand things will be much smoother when the decimal point is here.
In come the dollars and in come the centsto replace the pounds and the shillings and the pence.Be prepared folks when the coins begin to mixon the 14th of February 1966.Dollar Bill decimal currency jingle, circa 1965, sung to the tune of 'Click go the Shears'.
Dollar Bill Decimal Currency Jingle sung to the tune of 'Click go the Shears'. Lyrics written by Ted Roberts.
Other educational material included games and play money in schools.
A wide range of brochures was issued explaining the conversion of pounds, shillings and pence into dollars and cents and the effects of this on prices of various goods and services.
Helped by the smooth conversion to a decimal currency, the new notes were well received. But high-quality counterfeits of the $10 note appeared in late 1966, prompting the Reserve Bank to begin a process of collaboration with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to combat threats to the security of the note issue.
Some two decades later, the public would see the results in the form of a unique Australian invention – polymer currency notes. You can read the story of Australia's polymer notes on the New Era - Polymer Currency Notes: 1988 onwards page.
A New Note Printing Factory
The $100 note was the first new note printed at the RBA's new printing works at Craigieburn in outer Melbourne.
The note printing function was relocated to Craigieburn from Fitzroy in late 1981.
The Fitzroy site had been in operation since 1924 when the Commonwealth Bank was given responsibility for Australia's currency notes.
Planning for a new factory began in the early 1970s when it became apparent that capacity at the existing printing works at Fitzroy was inadequate.
A new facility was required to cope with the likely growth, and evolving technical requirements, of our currency notes.
The Craigieburn site of 26 hectares was landscaped with a special area featuring the flora illustrated on the first $5 decimal note, including an example from the banksia family, named after Sir Joseph Banks.
A New Era – Polymer Currency Notes: 1988 Onwards
Why Polymer?
The Counterfeiting Threat
When the new decimal currency notes were introduced in 1966, they were thought to contain the most sophisticated security features available. However, a major counterfeiting threat emerged in December that year when forged $10 notes were discovered. The counterfeiting story was front-page news.
Forged $10 notes were used to make purchases at a string of small retail outlets. It was known as the 'Times Bakery' counterfeit because the horizontal lines on the Times Bakery building (on the back of the note) were not flush with the vertical edge of the building.
A Currency Squad was formed within the Australian Federal Police and the Reserve Bank offered rewards for information on counterfeiting.
The RBA also entered into a partnership with the CSIRO to devise new technology that would enhance the security of the note issue.
Research was propelled through the 1970s and 1980s by the increasing availability to the public of higher-quality reprographic technology.
Research to enhance the security of the note issue focused initially on developing a hologram-like Diffractive Optically Variable Device (DOVD). This was found to have better optical effects when applied to a smooth surface. This led to a decision to develop a polymer substrate with DOVD as the principal security feature.
The notes displayed are experimental notes from the 1970s; the experimental note at left carries an image of Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965), the German missionary, physician and theologian.
The First Polymer Note
In 1985, the RBA decided to trial the new technology in a Commemorative $10 note. This note was to be the RBA's contribution to the celebration of Australia's Bicentenary in January 1988.
These early designs were variations on the First Settlement theme chosen in the mid 1980s.
The RBA released the Commemorative $10 polymer currency note on Australia Day 1988.
Photograph showing re-enactment of eleven ships of the first fleet sailing into Sydney Harbour on 26 January 1988.
Eleven ships of the First Fleet Re-enactment sailed into Sydney Harbour on 26 January 1988 to start the Australia Day celebrations.
Harry Williamson, designer of the $100 decimal note, was chosen to lead the design team, with a theme of 'settlement'.
This Commemorative $10 note was the first banknote in the world to be printed on a non-fibrous polymer substrate. It incorporated a Diffractive Optically Variable Device (DOVD), which featured Captain Cook.
One side of the note symbolised European settlement with HMS Supply, the first ship to drop anchor in Sydney Cove, and a medley of persons symbolising all who have contributed to Australia's development since 1788.
The other side of the first polymer note symbolised the original discovery and settlement of Australia some 40–60,000 years earlier. It depicts an Aboriginal youth, a Morning Star Pole and other designs including from Aboriginal artworks commissioned by the Bank.
A Complete Series of Polymer Notes
The trial of the polymer note technology was judged a great success. A complete series of polymer notes from $5 to $100 was issued between 1992 and 1996.
These notes continued the themes of the original paper decimal currency notes in celebrating the diversity of Australia's social, cultural and scientific achievements, including through portraits of some of the outstanding men and women who had contributed to them.
The focus of efforts to improve security moved away from DOVDs because they were very expensive, and other cheaper security devices became available. More use was made of a clear window, which is not possible with paper notes and is both cheap and effective as an anti-counterfeiting device.
The $5 note, designed by Bruce Stewart, was issued in July 1992.
The front of the note carries a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II with a branch of a gum tree.
The back of the note depicts Parliament House, Canberra. The first Parliament House, opened in 1927, is in the foreground.
Taken together, both sides of the note reflect Australia's system of democracy, based on the constitutional monarchy and the Westminster parliamentary structure.
The $5 note received a mixed public response. Some people considered it too dull while others were disappointed at the loss of Caroline Chisholm, the only woman apart from the Monarch to have appeared on an Australian currency note.
In April 1995, a more brightly coloured $5 note was issued to more clearly distinguish it from the $10 note.
These were early designs of the $10 note featuring Banjo Paterson and Dame Mary Gilmore. The $10 note, designed by Max Robinson, was issued in November 1993.
The 'Waltzing Matilda' logo which appears on the $10 note was reproduced from the cover of the sheet music, first published in 1902.
Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson (1864–1941), poet and ballad writer, was born in rural New South Wales. In his thirties, he achieved fame as author of Waltzing Matilda, The Man from Snowy River, and many other verses.
Through her poetry and prose, Dame Mary Gilmore (1865–1962), campaigned for a range of reforms concerning voting rights for women, pensions and Aboriginal rights. One of her famous poems was No Foe Shall Gather Our Harvest.
There were various designs for the $20 note before a final decision was made. The $20 note, designed by Garry Emery, came out in October 1994.
Mary Reibey (1777–1855), featured on one side of the note, was transported to Australia in 1792 after a conviction for horse stealing. She built up substantial business interests including property, shipping and warehouses. In later life she became widely known for her charitable works and interest in church and education affairs.
The photograph shown here is of a locket containing the only known portrait of Mary Reibey. This was used in the design of the $20 note.
The other side of the $20 note carried a portrait of Reverend John Flynn (1880–1951) with background designs reflecting his contribution to the welfare of settlers in the outback, particularly his founding of the Australian Inland Mission and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
The Victory shown here was the first plane used by the Royal Flying Doctor Service which, by the 1950s, was operating over vast areas of the outback.
Early designs of the $50 included these notes. The $50 note, designed by Brian Sadgrove, was issued in October 1995 bearing the portraits of David Unaipon and Edith Cowan.
David Unaipon (1872–1967), a South Australian writer, inventor and public speaker, was an impressive spokesman for the Aboriginal people. He was the first Aboriginal author to be published. An extract from his story Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigine features on the $50 note.
Edith Cowan (1861–1932) is best remembered as the first female member of an Australian Parliament. The photograph (left) is of the original facade of the West Australian Parliament House when Cowan was elected to its Legislative Assembly in 1921. Edith Cowan worked throughout her life on a wide range of educational, family, church and social issues.
This note was amongst early designs for the $100 note.
The polymer $100 note, designed by Bruce Stewart, was issued in May 1996. It featured portraits of Dame Nellie Melba and Sir John Monash.
Dame Nellie Melba (1861–1931) was probably the most famous soprano in the world in the early decades of the twentieth century. Born Helen Porter Mitchell, she took the stage name of Melba as a contraction of her native city of Melbourne. She was based in Europe for long periods but toured Australia extensively. Melba worked tirelessly to raise funds for charities in Australia during World War I. In 1920, she became the first artist of international reputation to participate in direct radio broadcasts.
The program shown here was for Dame Nellie Melba's final performance at Covent Garden, London, in 1926. The signature on the program was used in the design work for the note.
Sir John Monash (1865–1931) was a soldier, engineer and administrator. After earning degrees in engineering, arts and law, Monash had a distinguished career during World War I, rising to the rank of Lieutenant General. British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, once described Monash 'as the most successful general in the British Army'.
The photograph shown here is of members of the Australian Field Artillery using an 18 pounder gun in action at Noreuil Valley, attacking the Hindenberg Line, during the fight for Bullecourt, circa 1917.
After the war Monash was a prominent advisor on military and engineering matters. As Chairman of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria he oversaw the opening of huge deposits of brown coal in Gippsland to provide cheaper power for industrial and other uses. Monash University was named after him.
For additional information about the people on our currency notes, please visit the Current Banknotes page on the Reserve Bank of Australia‘s website.
Centenary of Federation
In celebration of the Centenary of Australia's Federation, the RBA issued a commemorative $5 note in January 2001.
Preparations for this new note began in mid 1997. A committee was established to assist in deciding matters such as the denomination to be issued and who should be represented on the note. This committee comprised a cross-section of representatives from the Australian community.
Mr Garry Emery was selected to design the note following a competition amongst Australia's leading designers.
There were a number of early designs and colour schemes for this commemorative note.
The front of the note that was issued in 2001 carried the portrait of Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896) and other Federation design elements. Parkes had been a candidate to feature on 10 shilling and £50 notes designed in the early 1950s. The 10 shilling note issued in 1953/54, however, carried a portrait of Matthew Flinders while the £50 note was never issued.
Parkes was once described by the British press as 'the most commanding figure in Australian politics' and became known as the 'Father of Federation'. This was in recognition of his efforts in the last decade of his life to advance the cause of nationhood. His now famous speech in the Tenterfield School of Arts in 1889 – the Tenterfield Address – was a clarion call for Federation which became a reality a few years after his death.
Catherine Helen Spence (1825–1910) was a journalist, social reformer and novelist. Viewed as the leading woman in South Australian public affairs at the turn of the century, Spence was in the vanguard of efforts to enhance women's rights, child welfare and electoral reform. She became one of Australia's first female preachers. Spence was our first female political candidate, contesting unsuccessfully the election for delegates to the 1897 Australasian Federal Convention.
The Federation Star appears on the Australian flag and Coat of Arms, and is symbolised on our polymer currency notes.
It has seven points. Six represent the states which formed the Australian Federation in 1901 with the seventh point, added in 1909, representing the combined territories of the Commonwealth.
How are Australia's Currency Notes Made?
Design
Design work includes the development of images and security features. Detailed artwork, including large-scale line drawings, is required for portraits and other design themes.
When completed, the designs are transferred to printing plates. These plates carry up to 60 images of the note, depending on the size of the note to be printed.
Polymer Substrate
A clear laminated polymer film is the basis of the note.
The film is made opaque (opacified) by the application of special inks, except for certain areas that result in clear windows or other features.
In 1996, the Reserve Bank formed a joint venture company - Securency Pty Ltd - with a foreign manufacturer of polypropylene films to further develop polymer substrate and to market it to currency note printers in other countries. Securency is based, with Note Printing Australia, at Craigieburn, Victoria.
Printing & Finishing
In this process, printing plates, polymer substrate, special inks and high technology printing machinery are brought together to produce the currency notes.
Colourful background designs are printed simultaneously with both sides of the opacified polymer substrate using an offset printing process which results in a flat print.
Photograph showing a printing pressMajor design elements such as portraits are printed next. This is carried out by a process called intaglio printing using engraved metal plates.
Separate print runs are required for each side of the note. The raised print that results is one of the security features of the currency notes.
Serial numbers are added using the letterpress printing process. On our polymer notes, each 'number' has a prefix of two letters and two numbers, followed by six numbers. The two numbers in the prefix indicate the year of manufacture.
The notes are given two coats of a protective overcoating or varnish. This helps keep them clean and enhances their durability.
The printed sheets of notes are then guillotined, counted and imperfect or soiled notes removed.
The finished notes are then shrink wrapped and stored in strong rooms prior to distribution by armoured car companies.
Advantages of Polymer Notes
While polymer currency technology was originally developed to make counterfeiting more difficult and costly, it also has advantages over paper currency in terms of durability and recycling.
Polymer notes last about four times longer than paper notes. Polymer substrate is more robust and resistant to damage from moisture, dirt, oils and household chemicals. This enhanced durability has resulted in a big reduction in the number of notes required and therefore in note printing costs.
The longer life of polymer notes also means less waste, compared with paper notes. A key environmental advantage is that polymer notes can be recycled whereas waste from paper notes could only be buried or burnt.
Polymer notes no longer fit for use are granulated and then melted and blended into pellets. These pellets are the raw material for recycling.
A range of environmentally-friendly products can be produced using polymer note pellets including garden items such as compost bins, plumbing supplies such as grease traps and house building items such as bricks and roof shingles.
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