RBA’s big decision for the $5 note has left Australians split—where do you stand?

Currency designs are more than just pieces of paper—they reflect a nation's identity, history, and values.

So, when a major change is announced, it’s bound to stir debate.

A decision has been made about the future of Australia's $5 note, and it’s one that has divided opinions across the country.


The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) revealed the new direction for the country’s $5 note, confirming it would not feature King Charles III or a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Instead, the updated design would focus on an Indigenous theme, highlighting the connection to Country for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The late Queen had been on the $5 note since 1992, and speculation had grown over who or what would replace her.


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RBA unveils bold new $5 note design. Image source: Reserve Bank of Australia


The RBA shared it had received many ‘creative ideas’ from the public after seeking input on the redesign.

The bank ultimately decided on a concept called ‘Connection to Country,’ stating it aimed to be more ‘inclusive’ with Australia’s currency.

‘Country is the land, the waters and the sky,’ the RBA said.

‘Key to this theme is the recognition of First Nations communities’ contribution to the restoration and conservation of our environment.’

‘An important context for this connection is the overturning of the concept of terra nullius.’

‘In acknowledging connection and caring for Country the theme should be inclusive, recognising the nature of Country varies, but it is all connected.’


The RBA confirmed that Canberra’s Parliament House would remain on the new note.

More than 2,100 submissions were made about the redesign, with suggestions covering First Nations culture, storytelling, native wildlife, and landmarks.

RBA Assistant Governor Business Services Michelle McPhee said many ideas focused on ‘First Nations cultures, storytelling, art and design, native animals and important landmarks.’

The final look of the new banknote had yet to be unveiled, but the RBA said it would enter circulation in the coming years.

The bank also assured that the design would reflect Indigenous culture in a meaningful way and not be ‘tokenistic or stereotypical.’


The decision divided Australians, with some royalists unhappy that King Charles III would not be featured.

‘Keep the Queen on our $5 notes. She dedicated her life to her service. She commanded the commonwealth for such a long time. How horrible to just erase her off the notes. So wrong,’ one person said.

‘Is that a gee up? We are still part of the Commonwealth under King Charles he should be on our currency,’ another wrote.

Others welcomed the change, believing it was a positive step.

‘Who actually has such small issues in life that this will become the thing that makes them lose sleep at night? At least First Nations themes make more sense than the dude in a different country that is our monarch in name only,’ a supporter commented.

Another said: ‘I know some people hate it, but I think it’s fun! Every time we embrace First Nations people, it makes me proud to be Australian.’

A Yahoo Finance poll showed a close split, with 52 per cent preferring King Charles III to be featured over another design.


In a previous story, an Aussie worker discovered a surprising loophole that could help you reclaim damaged cash.

Many people don’t realise that torn or worn-out notes might still have value.

Find out how you could get your money back.

Key Takeaways
  • The RBA announced that Australia's new $5 note would not feature King Charles III or Queen Elizabeth II but would instead showcase an Indigenous theme.
  • The design, called ‘Connection to Country,’ aimed to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s relationship with the land, waters, and sky.
  • More than 2,100 public submissions were received, with suggestions focusing on First Nations culture, storytelling, wildlife, and landmarks.
  • The decision divided Australians, with some supporting the change and others believing King Charles III should have been featured.

Currency changes don’t happen often, and when they do, they spark plenty of discussion.

Do you think the new design is a fitting tribute to First Nations culture, or should King Charles III have been included?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
 

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we should firstly accept the original people who have been here for thousands of years. They get little respect and, remember that the Maori's and American Indians have TREATIES and to this day all Aboriginals have is the abuse of many. I've had the pleasure of knowing many of these people personally for the majority of my life and find they are mostly loving, caring and highly intelligent which we can't say for many white people. Drunkenness is often brought up in argument but have an honest look at the skin colour of many people in the parks and how many people in the Forces are DRUNKS. I know because I have been on the end of their treatment.
Just an observation….In order to be respected, one must first earn it……….the only exception is when a military man salutes the badge, galling as it might be on occasion…
 
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Why can't we afford it? Poms have been coming here constantly for holidays AND WE PAY FOR IT. We need to have a say in our lives not bow down to garbage from overseas.
You don’t like the royals then :unsure:
 
Apparently, we all originate from somewhere else. I am glad Australia was populated by the British,
otherwise, I might be Dutch, Chinese or Portuguese, not that I have anything against those people, but I can't speak the languages. ;)

Asia via insular Southeast Asia
Australian Aboriginal peoples originally came from Asia via insular Southeast Asia. They have been in Australia for at least 45,000–50,000 years. The ancestors of present-day Aboriginal Australian people migrated from Southeast Asia by sea during the Pleistocene epoch. They lived over large sections of the Australian continental shelf when the sea levels were lower and Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea were part of the same landmass, known as Sahul. The first Australians landed on the shores of Western Australia, around the Kimberley region, about sixty thousand years ago.

britannica.com+3
 
What did the "first nations" (by the way, isn't that a term borrowed from the Indians of North America?) inhabitants call this land? Did the "Aboriginal industry", as John Laws used the term, adopt that idea seeking some consolidation of their "rights" to this country? Were they so united then -- for however many thousands of years -- that they had agreed on a name for it? Would the concept of a land with all their tribes existing as one, under one government, and all speaking the same language and having the same aims as to its purpose, have even occurred to them? Would they recognise the idea of a "government"?
I think that when the first inhabitants arrived on this continent they just called it home………why would they have needed to name it and they would only have had respected elders representing any kind of order, but what they said was law…..People, all people, have to live in this world as it is now and it’s forever changing but never going back. It great to keep the tradition of the aboriginal, in all countries, alive and continuing…. It shouldn’t be divisive anymore….First nations are a part of our country’s history but don’t use your culture to continuously bemoan your fate….your songs and dances and stories should be used to educate everyone in a good way, like a history lesson …..people might be respected more if they actually earn it…..
 
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So a new $5 note focusing on our First Nation people eh ? ....hell with the way inflation is going by the time its printed it won't even buy a bottle of metho....
 
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'I WOKE UP IN THE MORNING"...When are people going to learn to speak properly. I learned that until recently WOKE has always been used for my original words and the last time it was used how people are doing now was in SHAKESPEARS DAYS IN ONE OF HIS PLAYS. Getting quite sick of people stuffing around with our language... like cookies instead of biscuits. What the hell are you trying to prove? 🤬
That's the meaning! Woke = wakeup morons smell the roses! Australia home of slang, you dagging our lingo.
Our language, 1/3 of the world's language 1st or second.
 
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I like what I see and it's about time we had something Australian instead of photos of people from the other side of the world. Considering that the Chinese discovered us in 1421 and Portugal in the 1500s followed by the Dutch and many others all documented in 2 books with maps, diagrams and photos. The only thing Cook did was kill Aboriginals.The sooner we stop bowing to the most scandalous mob in Royal history the better and really become AUSTRALIA.
 
I like what I see and it's about time we had something Australian instead of photos of people from the other side of the world. Considering that the Chinese discovered us in 1421 and Portugal in the 1500s followed by the Dutch and many others all documented in 2 books with maps, diagrams and photos. The only thing Cook did was kill Aboriginals.The sooner we stop bowing to the most scandalous mob in Royal history the better and really become AUSTRALIA.
Better start reading your history! Cook did not kill any Aborigines, but he did discover Botany Bay and Port Jackson in 1770 and then he sailed away. The first fleet did not arrive until 1778
 
plenty of dead people on bank notes all over the world. why does australia have to change? Leave our monarch the past Queen on the $5 note. AND save heaps of money. We all know albo likes spending and wasting money, yes no answers for one and of late the billions that keep coming out of mouth, all for buying votes. useless man.
How much do you think it costs to produce a note? Since 1953 they have updated six different portraits of the Queen on our coins to reflect the aging face of Queenie Pooh. 2018 was the last updated face.
It costs about 32 cents to make a new note…be it $50 note or $100 note. They always update them. In 1988 the $2 note was replaced with the $2 coin featuring an image of an Aboriginal elder Gwoya Tjungurrayi, otherwise known as One Pound Jimmy, as part of Australia’s bicentennial celebrations - did you cry? In 2001 we had Sir Henry Parks featuring on the $5 note, etc. Get a Life!
 
Yes, the usual Inglorious Aussie Bastards having a whinge about what is depicted on the $5 note. Who really cares? Just something to whinge and whine about for the bitter and twisted, small minded dregs. Most wouldn’t even know what is or has been on our coins or notes historically. One thing is for sure - none of you have featured lol - perhaps The Royal Australian Mint should start a thing - the derelict collection.
 
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gamiry, where do your ancestors come from, I actually am starting to resent you calling mine garbage.
Same as a lot of us, convicts, pommy ,welsh ,Irish ,scottish. My great,greats dad will claim the tartan! He seems to be shittin in his own nest. And his comments on our language and Shakespeare, thou sucketh!
 
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I agree with Ian3005 can we afford to spend millions because that’s what it will cost.
 

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