An aborigine will ‘dethrone’ Carlos III from Australian banknotes

Last December, the Bank of England introduced the new look of the sterling notes with the image of King Charles III, which will be on the obverse and in the transparent security box. And while the new notes will only be printed to replace worn-out ones or in case more currency needs to be put into circulation, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said he was “proud” of the new design. Something similar should have happened, in theory, in Australia, where until now the image of Queen Elizabeth II appeared on the Australian five dollar bill, who died on September 8. This is, in fact, the only banknote from that country in which the image of a monarch of England appeared, who is also head of state of Australia and other members of the Commonwealth. But the Reserve Bank of Australia, the country’s central bank, announced that instead of the new sovereign, Charles III, the future image will be that of an aborigine, to “pay tribute to the culture and history” of indigenous Australians. . This was reported by the institution in a statement in which it explained that “this decision of the Reserve Bank Board follows a consultation with the Australian government, which supports this change”, which, however, will not be immediate. “The new banknote will take several years to design and print. In the meantime, the current five-dollar bill will continue to be issued,” the authorities explained, pointing out that “it may be used even after the new bill is issued.” Already in September, when Elizabeth II died, the bank had declared that Charles III would not necessarily replace his mother and that figures related to Australia could be used more, a decision that coincides with efforts made in recent years to recognize the history. of the country beyond British influence and even led to the changing of a part of the national anthem in which the nation was said to be “young”, a statement that is at odds with a place that has been inhabited for thousands of years. The dangers of the Commonwealth The announcement, which comes three months before the monarch’s great coronation event, on May 6, was applauded in some quarters. Lidia Thorpe, a senator from the Greens in the country, said that “this is a great victory for the grassroots” as well as “the First Nations people who have been fighting to decolonize this country.” Thorpe is part of the DjabWurrung Gunnai Gunditjmara community, the Aboriginal people of South West Victoria. There are those who see in this decision further proof that the Commonwealth runs the risk of losing more states that finally decide to become republics or, at least, that it is evidence that the discussion about British influence and specifically the monarchy is over. the table now that the longest-serving Queen, who was on the throne for 70 years, is gone. For example, supporters of the Australian Republican Movement saw the monarch’s death as a new opportunity to fight for her cause. In any case, the last time Australians expressed their opinion on the matter in an official consultation was in a referendum in 1999, when the majority decided to continue having the Queen as head of state.


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