Should the $5 note be changed to show notable Australians?
- Replies 1
The world received shocking news last week: Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms for the last 70 years has passed away. She had been sovereign for so long that her death still seemed sudden, even when she lived a full life until 96.
For many Australians, she was the only reigning British monarch we’ve ever known. Queen Elizabeth II has lived through 16 Australian prime ministers, from Menzies to Albanese! She has also been omnipresent in our lives – through money in constant circulation bearing her image, including the $5 banknote.
In her passing, the note will be updated to reflect the change in our head of state. Soon enough, King Charles III will be the face.
But is it possible for the money to feature someone from the Oz?
On the social news website Reddit, one Aussie had a ‘maybe unpopular’ suggestion: ‘The $5 note should be changed to show notable Australian people. And now's a good opportunity to do that.’
They said: ‘Currently, all the notes have two Australian people of historical renown. But the $5 note is the exception, with the British monarch on one side, and the Parliament building on the other. I would definitely prefer two more Aussies shown on our favourite pink note.’
They continued: ‘Personally, I'd love to see Steve Irwin on one side (showcasing Aussie reptiles in the background) and Albert Namatjira on the other side (showcasing his art in the background). What do you guys think?’
The post garnered many playful and humorous responses, such as the ‘Succulent Chinese meal guy,’ ‘Blinky Bill,’ ‘Bluey,’ ‘Russell Coight,’ and ‘Kath on one side, Kim on the other’ – the last receiving a ‘Poifect’ remark from one Redditor.
But there were also serious responses. One Redditor was reminded of a proposal seven years ago: ‘There was a petition for Fred Hollows to be on the $5 note, if I remember correctly. It wasn't successful, though.’
The Redditor referred to the 2016 petition dubbed ‘Put Fred on a Fiver’ supported by high-profile Aussies, including former prime minister Bob Hawke, Olympian Cathy Freeman and journalist Ray Martin. The New Zealand–Australian doctor known for his domestic and overseas medical work in restoring the eyesight of thousands of patients was named the Australian of the Year in 1990. The change did not push through, however.
Many others suggested featuring Australian nature and wildlife. One comment said: ‘I like the idea of just animals on money. No arguments about if they were a good person or not, no comparisons about who would be better, just nice, native animals.’
Another thought about the suggestion’s practicality: ‘How about no people (so there won’t have to be constantly changing), maybe the coat of arms, an outline of the nation, some artwork, some natural Australian flora?’
‘I like how the Europeans did it. No people, not even real landmarks. We can follow their lead of not having people on the notes, but use real landmarks, native flora and fauna, and art,’ one said.
Other Redditors were more specific. One said: ‘How about a quokka? Everyone likes quokkas, they're cute as f***.’
Not everyone agreed, though. ‘No! I'm a West Australian so I love the quokkas, but the local animal should be the echidna because it's the only creature in the world to have a four-headed penis, which I think is worth celebrating,’ a Redditor said jokingly.
Another suggestion said: ‘Koala, so we can look at them on our money after they're all dead.’ The Redditor said it in jest, but the fact that the cuddly-looking creatures are an endangered species is still horribly sad.
Australian animals and plants have already been featured in local currency, with different interpretations during every release, so a $5 note with quokkas, echidnas, or koalas won’t be odd. According to the Reserve Bank of Australia, ‘introduced animals have been favoured previously rather than indigenous species’.
Others objected to the original poster’s choice of putting ‘The Crocodile Hunter’ on the $5.
‘Please, not Steve Irwin. He is not remotely on the level of the other people you've named,’ one said. They continued: ‘I am not especially concerned about changing the $5 note at all, though.’
Another said: ‘I in no way hate Steve Irwin, but I think people do misremember his fame a little in retrospect.’
A Redditor concurred: ‘He did seem to be more popular overseas (and maybe Queensland) than in Australia. His over-the-top personality was more suited to an American audience than Australian.’
Still, other Aussies recognise the conservationist’s legacy: ‘I found his public personality somewhat irritating, but there’s no denying the influence he had in promoting conservation in Australia and overseas. And the Irwin family has directly purchased hundreds of thousands of hectares of bush and fought to keep it from being cleared and mined.’
Many Aussies on the Australia subreddit aren’t bothered about updating the $5 bill, though. One Kiwi even chimed in: ‘That's all well and good until you realise how much it is to change notes. Just ask us, NZ is a recidivist money waster on pointless sh** like changing flags and money.’
How about you, do you think it’s necessary to change the $5 banknote? Who (or what) do you think should be the face of the bill? Let us know in the comments!
For many Australians, she was the only reigning British monarch we’ve ever known. Queen Elizabeth II has lived through 16 Australian prime ministers, from Menzies to Albanese! She has also been omnipresent in our lives – through money in constant circulation bearing her image, including the $5 banknote.
In her passing, the note will be updated to reflect the change in our head of state. Soon enough, King Charles III will be the face.
But is it possible for the money to feature someone from the Oz?
On the social news website Reddit, one Aussie had a ‘maybe unpopular’ suggestion: ‘The $5 note should be changed to show notable Australian people. And now's a good opportunity to do that.’
They said: ‘Currently, all the notes have two Australian people of historical renown. But the $5 note is the exception, with the British monarch on one side, and the Parliament building on the other. I would definitely prefer two more Aussies shown on our favourite pink note.’
They continued: ‘Personally, I'd love to see Steve Irwin on one side (showcasing Aussie reptiles in the background) and Albert Namatjira on the other side (showcasing his art in the background). What do you guys think?’
The post garnered many playful and humorous responses, such as the ‘Succulent Chinese meal guy,’ ‘Blinky Bill,’ ‘Bluey,’ ‘Russell Coight,’ and ‘Kath on one side, Kim on the other’ – the last receiving a ‘Poifect’ remark from one Redditor.
But there were also serious responses. One Redditor was reminded of a proposal seven years ago: ‘There was a petition for Fred Hollows to be on the $5 note, if I remember correctly. It wasn't successful, though.’
The Redditor referred to the 2016 petition dubbed ‘Put Fred on a Fiver’ supported by high-profile Aussies, including former prime minister Bob Hawke, Olympian Cathy Freeman and journalist Ray Martin. The New Zealand–Australian doctor known for his domestic and overseas medical work in restoring the eyesight of thousands of patients was named the Australian of the Year in 1990. The change did not push through, however.
Many others suggested featuring Australian nature and wildlife. One comment said: ‘I like the idea of just animals on money. No arguments about if they were a good person or not, no comparisons about who would be better, just nice, native animals.’
Another thought about the suggestion’s practicality: ‘How about no people (so there won’t have to be constantly changing), maybe the coat of arms, an outline of the nation, some artwork, some natural Australian flora?’
‘I like how the Europeans did it. No people, not even real landmarks. We can follow their lead of not having people on the notes, but use real landmarks, native flora and fauna, and art,’ one said.
Other Redditors were more specific. One said: ‘How about a quokka? Everyone likes quokkas, they're cute as f***.’
Not everyone agreed, though. ‘No! I'm a West Australian so I love the quokkas, but the local animal should be the echidna because it's the only creature in the world to have a four-headed penis, which I think is worth celebrating,’ a Redditor said jokingly.
Another suggestion said: ‘Koala, so we can look at them on our money after they're all dead.’ The Redditor said it in jest, but the fact that the cuddly-looking creatures are an endangered species is still horribly sad.
Australian animals and plants have already been featured in local currency, with different interpretations during every release, so a $5 note with quokkas, echidnas, or koalas won’t be odd. According to the Reserve Bank of Australia, ‘introduced animals have been favoured previously rather than indigenous species’.
Others objected to the original poster’s choice of putting ‘The Crocodile Hunter’ on the $5.
‘Please, not Steve Irwin. He is not remotely on the level of the other people you've named,’ one said. They continued: ‘I am not especially concerned about changing the $5 note at all, though.’
Another said: ‘I in no way hate Steve Irwin, but I think people do misremember his fame a little in retrospect.’
A Redditor concurred: ‘He did seem to be more popular overseas (and maybe Queensland) than in Australia. His over-the-top personality was more suited to an American audience than Australian.’
Still, other Aussies recognise the conservationist’s legacy: ‘I found his public personality somewhat irritating, but there’s no denying the influence he had in promoting conservation in Australia and overseas. And the Irwin family has directly purchased hundreds of thousands of hectares of bush and fought to keep it from being cleared and mined.’
Many Aussies on the Australia subreddit aren’t bothered about updating the $5 bill, though. One Kiwi even chimed in: ‘That's all well and good until you realise how much it is to change notes. Just ask us, NZ is a recidivist money waster on pointless sh** like changing flags and money.’
How about you, do you think it’s necessary to change the $5 banknote? Who (or what) do you think should be the face of the bill? Let us know in the comments!
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