Australia decides to remove portraits of British monarchs from its banknotes

The British Central Bank announced yesterday that the images of British monarchs will disappear from banknotes in Australia, which will carry a five-dollar bill that honors the culture of the indigenous people.

The decision not to feature the image of King Charles III on the five-dollar banknote means that Australian banknotes will gradually no longer bear the image of any British monarch.

But the central bank did not give any details about the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II, which appears on some coins in circulation.

Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and is officially headed by King Charles III, represented by a Governor-General.

Upon the death of Elizabeth II, a national day of mourning was declared on September 8th.

But some indigenous groups condemn the devastating consequences of British colonialism and call 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 led by Anthony Albanese, which favors a possible transition to an Australian republic.

The Reserve Bank of Australia confirmed that indigenous people will be consulted on a new design that "honors the culture and history of the first Australians," explaining that the design and printing of the new banknote will take years.

Until that happens, banknotes bearing the image of the late queen in circulation will remain legal.

The Australian Republican Movement praised the decision to remove the images of the kings, noting that the indigenous peoples preceded British colonialism by 65,000 years.

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