Reserve Bank of Australia shares first look at new $100 note
Source: News Australia, RBA
It is the final denomination to be redesigned as part of the Next Generation Banknote Program and will be released into circulation in the second half of 2020.
The new $100 features Sir John Monash and Dame Nellie Melba.
Sir John Monash was an engineer, soldier and civic leader and a significant figure in the building-construction industry.
Monash is widely recognised for his service as a commander in the First World War, leading the Australian Imperial Force during its successful campaigns in 1918. Monash was also instrumental in building the Shrine of Remembrance – which features on the banknote – in his hometown of Melbourne and also served as the vice-chancellor of Melbourne University from 1923 to 1931.
Dame Nellie Melba was an internationally-renowned soprano who performed in Australia, Europe and the United States of America in the late 19th and early 20th century. The banknote includes an image of Melba in costume as Rosina in Rossini’s Barber of Seville and the monogram from the cover of her homecoming concert tour program of 1902.
As with the previously released denominations, the new banknote includes representations of Australian flora and fauna. The $100 note features the Australian masked owl and Australia’s national floral emblem, the golden wattle, which is native to southeastern Australia and southern inland areas of New South Wales.
All of the banknotes in the Next Generation Banknote Program have a “tactile” feature to help people who are blind or who have low vision to distinguish between different denominations. There are five raised bumps on each of the long edges of the new $100 banknote.
Existing $100 banknotes remain legal tender and can continue to be used.
