KING Charles III will not feature on Australia’s new five dollar note, the country’s central bank has announced.
The new design will pay tribute to “the culture and history of the First Australians”, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) says.
A portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II appears on the current design of five dollar note.
The Queen’s death last year reignited debates about Australia’s future as a constitutional monarchy.
“This decision by the Reserve Bank Board follows consultation with the Australian government, which supports this change,” the bank said in a statement.
“The Bank will consult with First Australians in designing the $5 banknote. The new banknote will take a number of years to be designed and printed. In the meantime, the current $5 banknote will continue to be issued. It will be able to be used even after the new banknote is issued,” it added.
The RBA currently has no plans to change the design of any other denomination of Australian banknotes, a spokesperson told the BBC.
It has not yet set a date for when it will reveal the new five dollar note design, they added.
The King became the British monarch after his mother’s death in September.
As the British monarch, he is also the head of state of Australia, New Zealand and 12 other Commonwealth realms outside the United Kingdom. The role is largely ceremonial.
