Australia $5 note redesign : The Reserve Bank invites submissions for a redesign following the selection of a theme from 2,100 nominations.
Australia’s $5 note, featuring Queen Elizabeth II since 1992, will undergo a redesign to highlight the connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to their land and the historic overturning of terra nullius, a pivotal moment in the land rights movement.
The Reserve Bank of Australia has invited submissions for artwork honoring the enduring emotional, spiritual, and physical connection” of First Nations people to the land, seas, and waters—a bond that spans thousands of years.
The decision to highlight Indigenous history instead of featuring King Charles III sparked debate when announced in 2023, with opposition leader Peter Dutton criticizing it as “another attack on our systems, society, and institutions.”
On Monday, RBA assistant governor Michelle McPhee stated that the theme was selected from 2,100 nominations following a nationwide campaign.
For the first time, the redesigned note will not feature a portrait but will continue to display the Australian federal parliament on its reverse side.
The RBA emphasized that submissions should consider the significance of overturning the doctrine of terra nullius, which had legally justified treating Australia as a settled colony in 1788 rather than as land already inhabited. This doctrine was overturned by the High Court in the landmark 1992 Mabo decision, which established native title.
This ruling acknowledged the deep connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to their land for thousands of years. Artists are encouraged to explore how this decision has helped shape a positive future for First Nations communities,” the RBA stated.
The RBA also said it hoped that environmental protection and care was explored through the artwork, to recognise First Nations people caring and prioritising environmental sustainability for tens of thousands of years, and noted that submissions should avoid “tokenistic or stereotypical” elements.
Pro Vice-Chancellor of First Nations engagement at Charles Darwin University, Prof. Tony Dreis welcomed the move.
“Acknowledgement of our people’s deep and uninterrupted attachment to Country should be everywhere,” the Guumilaroi and Euahlayi man said.
“On billboards, in schools, in boardrooms, on TV and on our currency. Tens of thousands of years of connection to Country is worth far more than dollars alone but the nation’s currency provides an omnipresent outlet. to remind all Australians that this is an ancient place.”
Reserve Bank Invites Submissions for New Design
Australian banknotes and coins have featured images and engravings of Indigenous peoples, flora, and fauna since the 19th century, when the country still used the pound sterling.
The £1 banknote, first issued in June 1923, paid tribute to E. Phillips Fox’s Landing of Captain Cook at Botany Bay, which illustrated then-Lieutenant James Cook and Joseph Banks’ first contact with the Gweagal warriors, who stood in armed resistance against the intrusion on their land.
In 1966, the introduction of the A$1 note led to the first Aboriginal copyright dispute. The Reserve Bank had reproduced artwork by Arnhem Land artist David Malangi without seeking his permission. He was later compensated with $1,000, a medallion, and a fishing kit.
Significance of First Nations Connection to Land
The Royal Australian Mint states that the $2 coin features an “archetype of an Aboriginal tribal elder,” designed by German-Australian artist Horst Hahne. The design was influenced by an artwork from UK-born artist Ainslie Roberts, who incorporated certain features of Gwoya Tjungurrayi—also known as “One Pound Jimmy”—to create a symbolic representation of a traditional tribal elder.
Tjungurrayi, a Walpiri and Anmatyerre man, survived one of Australia’s last recorded frontier massacres in 1928, during which 60 men, women, and children were killed in the Northern Territory.
In 1995, the Reserve Bank of Australia introduced the $50 note featuring David Unaipon—an author, explorer, and inventor from the Ngarrindjeri nation in present-day South Australia.
Entries for the redesign will close in April.
Correction (18 March 2025): A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the $2 coin depicted Walpiri and Anmatyerre elder Gwoya Tjungurrayi. Instead, the coin features an imagined archetype of a traditional Aboriginal tribal elder, created by two non-Indigenous artists.
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