The Australian government stated on Tuesday that King Charles III’s image on Australian $5 bills would not necessarily replace Queen Elizabeth II’s.
Although the British monarch’s likeness must appear on coins, Federal Assistant Minister for the Treasury Andrew Leigh stated on Tuesday that the decision to put the queen’s likeness on the A$5 dollar note was made based more on her personality than her status as the monarch and that any changes would not be made “automatically.”
When asked by a reporter if the government would think about electing an Australian monarch instead of the British one, such as Edward Mabo, a fighter for indigenous land rights, Leigh responded, “It will be a dialogue to be had down the road and there will be a discussion about it in government. There isn’t any hurry. The current top priority is switching coins.
Debates concerning Australia’s future as a constitutional monarchy have resurfaced in the wake of the Queen’s passing. In a 1999 referendum, voters narrowly decided to keep the British monarch as the country’s head of state.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that he had not yet considered whether an Australian should appear on the A$5 note.
The Royal Australian Mint announced on Tuesday that it won’t create any circulating coins featuring the image of Queen Elizabeth in 2023.
Since her coronation in 1953, around 15 billion coins bearing the image of Queen Elizabeth II have been produced.
