In Australia, the British monarchy is losing its mind about petty cuts – Liberation

It’s always a pleasure to see the monarchy back down. Portraits of British royalty will disappear from Australian banknotes in favor of designs that honor Aboriginal culture. The Central Bank of Australia, which made the announcement on Thursday, decided not to use the image of Charles III on the $5 bill.

Since 1992, his mother, the late Elizabeth II, has appeared on these cults. But the central bank intends to replace the image of the queen, who died on September 8, with a note “Honors the culture and history of early Australians”, said the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). Indigenous people will be consulted on the new design. In the end, no more British monarchs will be represented on paper money. However, the Central Bank has not mentioned any specific plans for the Queen’s face, which is still depicted on some circulating coins.

Australia is a member of the Commonwealth, and thus King Charles III is officially the head of state and is represented by the Governor-General. But some indigenous groups decried the devastating consequences of British colonialism, and called for the abolition of the monarchy. In 1999, a referendum on the issue saw the Republicans narrowly defeated. The central bank said its decision was supported by the centre-left Labor government of Anthony Albanese, which favors a possible move towards an Australian republic.

“The appearance of an unelected king on our currency is no longer justified.”

It will take to design and print the new banknote “number of years”, in detail the central bank. Banknotes bearing the late Queen’s portrait already in circulation will continue to be legal tender. The Australian Republican Movement (ARM) welcomed the decision, noting that indigenous peoples predate British colonialism by about 65,000 years. “Australia believes in meritocracy and the idea that someone can be on our currency by reason of his lineage is irreconcilable, as is the idea that he can be our head of state by virtue of birth.”said Craig Foster, President of ARM.

“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”, is completed. Craig Foster said such symbols are important to Australians. “This decision by the Regional Office for Africa stems from recognition of the important place of Australian First Nations people in our national history”He continued, adding that Australians deserve to see themselves, and they alone, reflected in our Constitution, our system of government and all national symbols, including our currency..

British monarchs appeared on Australian banknotes from 1923 until 1953, the year of Elizabeth II’s coronation, they were present in all denominations. The Queen’s face adorned the one pound bill and then the new one dollar banknote from 1966. This first dollar bill also featured depictions of Aboriginal petroglyphs, engravings and designs inspired by a bark painting by Aboriginal artist David Malangi Daimerengo.