The central bank of Australia announced this Thursday that it will stop using the portrait of the British monarch on the new banknotes that will be put into circulation in the country, replacing it with elements that pay tribute to aboriginal culture.
The Reserve Bank of Australia said the new Australian five dollar (3.2 euro) notes will not feature a portrait of Britain’s new monarch, Charles III, but elements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
The central bank said Aboriginal people would be consulted on the new notes, which would take years to design and print, in a project that “honours the culture and history of early Australians,” according to a statement.
Elizabeth II’s portrait first appeared on the Australian five dollar note in 1992, marking the 40th anniversary of her accession to the British throne. At the moment, this was the only banknote that still contained the portrait of the monarch, who died in September.
“the monarch [britânico] It will still be on the coins, but the $5 note will speak more about our history, our heritage and our country,” Australian Finance Minister Jim Chalmers told a news conference.
The opposition leader compared the decision to changing the date of Australia Day. “I know the silent majority don’t agree with a lot of this left-wing nonsense, but we need to listen to these people more,” Peter Dutton told 2GB radio.
The move was welcomed by the Australian Republican Movement, pointing out that Aboriginal people had lived on the island for at least 60,000 years before British colonization in 1788.
“Thinking that an unelected king should be on our money instead of First Nations chiefs and elders and prominent Australians is no longer justifiable in a moment of truth, reconciliation and ultimately formal, cultural and intellectual independence. “said the president of the movement. , Craig Foster.
Anthony Albanese’s Labor government, which took power in May 2022, has already promised to hold a referendum this year to give Aboriginal people a voice in Parliament and to recognize indigenous communities in the Constitution.
The aborigines, one of the oldest cultures in the world, represent 3.2% of the total population of Australia, but they have denounced constant mistreatment, in addition to having been deprived of the land and systematically discriminated against by institutions, organizations and society. in general. .
Although he is a convinced republican, Albanese said, after the death of Elizabeth II, that the priority was the referendum on the political rights of the aborigines, and not the replacement of the monarchy by a republic.
In 1999 Australians rejected the transition to a republic in a referendum. At the time, polls conducted before Elizabeth II’s death showed that the majority of Australians were in favor of ending the monarchy.
The republican question has reignited since Albanese came to power, quickly naming the country’s first “deputy minister of the republic,” hinting that another referendum could be held in the future.
Source: TSF
