Australia is moving away from the British monarchy. British monarchs will be completely removed from banknotes in Australia, as the portrait of Elizabeth II will be replaced on the new five-dollar banknotes with a design that honors Aboriginal culture, not the statue of Charles III, which was announced on Thursday, February 2, in the center of the country. Bank.
“The new five dollar bills will tell us more about our history, our heritage and our country” Central Bank Governor Jim Chalmers told reporters in Melbourne. “I think that’s a good thing.”
Some indigenous groups denounce British colonialism
The date of the reine Elizabeth the 8th of September lasted a month by a day of national deuil in Australia, pays the name of the Commonwealth who is an official for chef d’État le roi Charles III, représenté by a gouverneur general (comme le Canada et la New Zealand).
But some indigenous groups decried the devastating consequences of British colonialism, and called for the abolition of the monarchy. At the time, the new Labor government of Anthony Albanese, elected last May, had already broached the idea of removing an effigy of a British monarch from the five dollar bill, which was the last time to include it.
Minister Delegate of the Republic.
Another step towards breaking away from this historical association with the British colonial power. Because Australia’s new, centre-left prime minister, Anthony Albanese, was first appointed to his cabinet the day after his victory, Minister Delegate of the RepublicMatt Thistlethwaite. The latter had promised to organize a new referendum to ask Australians whether they do so Supporting an Australian Republic with an Australian Head of State.
Defenders of the ‘Australian Republic’ welcomed the appointment as a ‘victory’. “Having a foreign king at the helm of our country takes us back to when Australia was a colony and part of Great Britain in the South Sea.”explained Peter Fitzsimmons, committed writer and chair of the Movement for an Australian Republic. . We are no longer a colony (since independence in 1901, editor’s note)We are proud of our ethnic diversity dating back 65,000 years and know we are not English. There is something wrong with this reality. »
Banknotes will continue to be legal tender
The disappearance of the Statue of Kings has been hailed by the Australian republican movement, stating that indigenous peoples predated British colonization by 65,000 years. “Australia believes in meritocracy and the idea that someone can be on our currency by reason of birthright is irreconcilable, as is the idea that he can be our head of state by birth.”WARC President, Craig Foster said yesterday.
“The belief that an unelected monarch should be on our coins rather than the chiefs and elders of First Nations and eminent Australians is no longer justified in the hour of truth, reconciliation and eventual peace. Formal, cultural and intellectual independence”he added.
In the meantime, it would take to design and print the new Aboriginal banknotes “number of years”Bank of Australia explained. In addition, existing banknotes bearing the late Queen’s portrait already in circulation will remain legal tender. Finally, according to the news agency Bloomberg, the production of new Australian coins with the effigy of King Charles III will begin during 2023. The association with Great Britain is not yet final. to cut …
