King Charles won't appear on Australian $5 note, as country moves to represent Indigenous history
2 February 2023, 14:54 | Updated: 2 February 2023, 15:02
Australia's new five dollar note won't feature King Charles III, after a decision by the country's central bank to replace the late Queen's portrait on the current design with a tribute to the "culture and history" of Indigenous Australians.
Debates reignited over the country's future as a constitutional monarchy after Elizabeth II's death in 2022
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said in a statement: "This decision by the Reserve Bank Board follows consultation with the Australian government, which supports this change."
"The Bank will consult with First Australians in designing the $5 banknote. The new banknote will take a number of years to be designed and printed.
"In the meantime, the current $5 banknote will continue to be issued. It will be able to be used even after the new banknote is issued," it added.
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The banknote is the only one to feature a British monarch. The late monarch also features on Australian coins, but the country is transitioning to using ones minted with the King's profile.
Speaking to the BBC, the RBA said it hasn't set a date for when the new design for the 5 dollar note will be revealed.
The move has been praised by Aboriginal politicians and community leaders.
Lidia Thorpe, a Greens senator and DjabWurrung Gunnai Gunditjmara woman, said: "This is a massive win for the grassroots, First Nations people who have been fighting to decolonise this country."
According to recent estimates, First Nations people lived in the country for over 65,000 years before colonisation by the British.
At least one design in every series of the country's banknotes has featured a British monarch, but in September last year, Australia said that the Queen's image on the $5 banknote might instead be replaced by figures from Australian history.
Indigenous Australian figures and art already features on much of the country's currency.
King Charles is the the head of state of Australia, New Zealand, as well as 12 other Commonwealth realms outside the UK, though his role is largely ceremonial.
