The Australian one-dollar note was introduced in 1966 due to

decimalisation Decimalisation or decimalization (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the conversion of a system of currency or of weights and measures to units related by Power of 10, powers of 10. Most countries have ...

, to replace the 10-shilling note. The note was issued from its introduction in 1966 until its replacement by the one-dollar coin in 1984. Approximately 1.7 billion one-dollar notes were printed.

Printing

During the note's issue, between its introduction and 1974, the note bore "Commonwealth of Australia" as the identification of country. At least 680,000,000 notes were printed in this time period. After 1974 and until the dollar coin was introduced in 1984, the note bore "Australia" as its identification of country. Around 1,020,000,000 such notes were printed after 1974.

Design

The Australian one-dollar note was designed by Gordon Andrews, the design being accepted in April 1964. The note features Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

wearing Garter robes on the obverse with the Australian coat of arms. This portrait was based on a photo taken by Douglas Glass. The reverse of the note features Aboriginal contemporary art, created by David Malangi. The artwork depicts the "mortuary feast" of one of the artist's creation ancestors, Gunmirringu, the great ancestral hunter. The Manharrngu people attribute this story as the origin of their mortuary rites. The design was used without the artist's knowledge. It was acknowledged in 1967 with the release of the banknote, and he was later financially compensated after intervention by the Governor of the

Reserve Bank A central bank, reserve bank, national bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the monetary policy of a country or monetary union. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central bank possesses a monopoly on increasing the mone ...

, H. C. Coombs, as well as receiving a specially struck medal. The payment by the Reserve Bank to Malangi began issues of Aboriginal copyright in Australia. The reverse also includes a selection of rock art. For example, the group of four figures in the top right corner is taken from an art work found on Injalak mountain, located near

Gunbalanya Gunbalanya (also spelt Kunbarlanja, and historically referred to as Oenpelli) is a town in west Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia, about east of Darwin. The main language spoken in the community is Kunwinjku (a dialect of Bin ...

in West Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Security features

The paper design included a

watermark A watermark is an identifying image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected light, atop a dark background), caused by thickness or density variations i ...

of Captain

James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...

in the white field; the watermark was also used in the last issue of pound banknotes. An upright internal metallic strip was first placed near the centre of the note, then from 1976 was moved to the left side as viewed from the obverse.

Removal from circulation

The one-dollar note was replaced by the current gold-coloured coin on 13 May 1984 (Monday), due to the longer service life and cost effectiveness of coins. These notes can still be redeemed at face value by the

Reserve Bank of Australia The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is Australia's central bank and banknote issuing authority. It has had this role since 14 January 1960, when the ''Reserve Bank Act 1959'' removed the central banking functions from the Commonwealth Bank. Th ...

and most commercial banks,Redemption of old Australian Banknotes – Reserve Bank of Australia
/ref> but numismatics and note collectors may pay a higher price for these notes depending on age and condition.

References

* {{Australian currency Banknotes of Australia Currencies introduced in 1966 One-base-unit banknotes