EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Issued by authority of the Assistant Treasurer
Currency Act 1965
Currency (Australian Coins) Amendment (2019 Royal Australian Mint No. 7) Determination 2019
Subsection 13(2) and section 13A of the Currency Act 1965 (the Act) provide that the Treasurer may, by legislative instrument, determine details of Australian coin characteristics including denomination, standard composition, standard weight, allowable variation from standard weight, design and dimensions.
The purpose of this legislative instrument is to determine the characteristics of 21 new non-circulating coins proposed to be issued by the Royal Australian Mint.
The Treasurer may authorise the making and issuing of coins specified, or taken to be specified, in the Schedule to the Currency Act 1965. A payment of money is a legal tender if it is made in coins that are made and issued under the Currency Act 1965. Through the issue of a currency determination, the Treasurer can add, remove and alter the coin characteristics specified, or taken to be specified, in the Schedule to the Currency Act 1965.
In accordance with section 19 of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901, any Minister in the Treasury portfolio may, by legislative instrument, determine details of Australian coin characteristics.
Details of the legislative instrument are set out in the Attachment.
The legislative instrument commenced on the day after it was registered on the Federal Register of Legislation.
The legislative instrument is subject to disallowance under section 42 of the Legislation Act 2003.
Consultation
No public consultation was undertaken in relation to this legislative instrument. The effect of this instrument is to determine details of new Australian coin characteristics which will enable the Royal Australian Mint to continue its production of circulating and numismatic coins.
Members of the public have the opportunity to contact the Royal Australian Mint to present any themes they would like to see commemorated on Australian legal tender. These concepts are then researched and assessed in accordance with the Royal Australian Mint’s Coin Design Policy. The Royal Australian Mint also uses market based tools to identify interested parties and gauge interest in coin themes.
Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights
Prepared in accordance with Part 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011
Currency (Australian Coins) Amendment (2019 Royal Australian Mint No. 7) Determination 2019
This Legislative Instrument is compatible with the human rights and freedoms recognised or declared in the international instruments listed in section 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011.
Overview of the Legislative Instrument
The purpose of this legislative instrument is to determine the characteristics of 21 new non-circulating coins proposed to be issued by the Royal Australian Mint.
Human rights implications
This Legislative Instrument does not engage any of the applicable rights or freedoms.
Conclusion
This Legislative Instrument is compatible with human rights as it does not raise any human rights issues.
ATTACHMENT
Details of the Currency (Australian Coins) Amendment (2019 Royal Australian Mint No. 7) Determination 2019
This Attachment sets out further details of the Currency (Australian Coins) Amendment (2019 Royal Australian Mint No. 7) Determination 2019 (the Determination).
Section 1 – Name
This section provides that the name of the Determination is the Currency (Australian Coins) Amendment (2019 Royal Australian Mint No. 7) Determination 2019.
Section 2 – Commencement
This section prescribes that the Determination commences the day after the Determination is registered.
Section 3 – Authority
This section provides that the Determination is made under the Currency Act 1965.
Section 4 – Schedule
This section provides that each instrument specified in a Schedule to the Determination is amended or repealed as set out in the Schedule.
Schedule 1 – Amendments
Schedule 1 amends the Currency (Australian Coins) Determination 2019 by adding the details of new coin characteristics. The newly determined coin characteristics are set out below.
New non-circulating coins
2020 $100 1oz Gold Investment Coin – Year of the Rat
2020 $1 1oz Silver Investment Coin – Year of the Rat
A representation of a rat standing on the convex side of a crescent shape. In the background there are six lychees and six leaves hanging from a branch. The design includes the inscriptions “YEAR OF THE RAT”, the Chinese language character pronounced shŭ under the Pinyin system and meaning rat, and “1oz .9999 Au” or “1oz .999 Ag” as the case requires.
Consistent with all Australian legal tender coinage, an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will appear on the obverse side of the coin together with the inscriptions “ELIZABETH II” and “AUSTRALIA” and the inscription, in numerals, of a year. The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Jody Clark “JC” and the denomination of the coin. Immediately inside the rim of the coin there is a stylised border consisting of a representation of each of the following: a rat, a pig, a dog, a rooster, a monkey, a goat, a horse, a snake, a dragon, a rabbit, a tiger and an ox.
2020 $5 Fine Silver Proof Coin – Saltwater Crocodile
A representation of the skeleton of a saltwater crocodile. In the background is a simplified map of Australia with shading to show the habitat of the saltwater crocodile. Partially obscured by the skeleton and map is a continuous line running vertically and horizontally through the background of the coin. The design includes the following inscriptions: “SALTWATER CROCODILE”; “Crocodylus porosus”; “5 DOLLARS” and a stylised representation of the initials of the designer Aaron Baggio “AB”.
Consistent with all Australian legal tender coinage, an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will appear on the obverse side of the coin together with the inscriptions “ELIZABETH II” and “AUSTRALIA” and the inscription, in numerals, of a year. The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Jody Clark “JC”.
2020 $5 Fine Silver Proof Coin – Tasmanian Devil
A representation of the skeleton of a Tasmanian devil. In the background is a simplified map of Australia with shading to show the habitat of the Tasmanian devil. Partially obscured by the skeleton and map is a continuous line running vertically and horizontally through the background of the coin. The design includes the following inscriptions: “TASMANIAN DEVIL”; “Sarcophilus harrisii”; “5 DOLLARS” and a stylised representation of the initials of the designer Aaron Baggio “AB”.
Consistent with all Australian legal tender coinage, an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will appear on the obverse side of the coin together with the inscriptions “ELIZABETH II” and “AUSTRALIA” and the inscription, in numerals, of a year. The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Jody Clark “JC”.
2020 $5 Fine Silver Proof Coin – Western Taipan
A representation of the skeleton of a Western taipan snake. In the background is a simplified map of Australia with shading to show the habitat of the Western taipan. Partially obscured by the skeleton and map is a continuous line running vertically and horizontally through the background of the coin. The design includes the following inscriptions: “WESTERN TAIPAN”; “Oxyuranus microlepidotus”; “5 DOLLARS” and a stylised representation of the initials of the designer Aaron Baggio “AB”.
Consistent with all Australian legal tender coinage, an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will appear on the obverse side of the coin together with the inscriptions “ELIZABETH II” and “AUSTRALIA” and the inscription, in numerals, of a year. The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Jody Clark “JC”.
2020 $2 Coloured Uncirculated Coin – Women’s T20 World Cup 2020
A central circle enclosing a representation of a female cricket player standing on a cricket pitch with a wicket and holding a cricket bat. Surrounding the central circle is a coloured border consisting of a pattern of light blue, dark blue, yellow and pink irregular zig-zag lines. The design includes the following inscriptions: “WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP” and “2 DOLLARS”.
Consistent with all Australian legal tender coinage, an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will appear on the obverse side of the coin together with the inscriptions “ELIZABETH II” and “AUSTRALIA” and the inscription, in numerals, of a year. The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Jody Clark “JC”.
2020 $30 1kg Fine Silver Proof Coin – Year of the Rat
A representation of a rat standing on the convex side of a crescent shape. In the background there are six lychees and six leaves hanging from a branch. The design includes the inscriptions “YEAR OF THE RAT”, the Chinese language character pronounced shŭ under the Pinyin system and meaning rat, and “1 kg .999 Ag”.
Consistent with all Australian legal tender coinage, an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will appear on the obverse side of the coin together with the inscriptions “ELIZABETH II” and “AUSTRALIA” and the inscription, in numerals, of a year. The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Jody Clark “JC” and the denomination of the coin. Immediately inside the rim of the coin there is a stylised border consisting of a representation of each of the following: a rat, a pig, a dog, a rooster, a monkey, a goat, a horse, a snake, a dragon, a rabbit, a tiger and an ox.
2020 $100 1oz Gold Uncirculated Coin – Berlin World Money Fair (WMF)
2020 $1 1oz Fine Silver Uncirculated Coin – Berlin World Money Fair (WMF)
A representation of a kookaburra perched on a branch with two leaves and one gumnut. In the background, a representation of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. The design includes the following inscriptions: “1oz .9999 Au” or “1oz .999 Ag” as the case requires; “ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS” or “ONE DOLLAR” as the case requires; and the initials of the designer Adam William Ball “AWB”.
Consistent with all Australian legal tender coinage, an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will appear on the obverse side of the coin together with the inscriptions “ELIZABETH II” and “AUSTRALIA” and the inscription, in numerals, of a year. The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Jody Clark “JC”.
2020 $100 1oz Gold Uncirculated Coin – Singapore International Coin Fair (ICF)
2020 $1 1oz Fine Silver Uncirculated Coin – Singapore International Coin Fair (ICF)
A representation of a kookaburra perched on a branch with two leaves and one gumnut. In the background, a representation of the Singaporean Merlion statue in Merlion Park, Singapore. The design includes the following inscriptions: “1oz .9999 Au” or “1oz .999 Ag” as the case requires; “ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS” or “ONE DOLLAR” as the case requires; “10” enclosed in a square; and the initials of the designer Adam William Ball “AWB”.
Consistent with all Australian legal tender coinage, an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will appear on the obverse side of the coin together with the inscriptions “ELIZABETH II” and “AUSTRALIA” and the inscription, in numerals, of a year. The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Jody Clark “JC”.
2020 $100 1oz Gold Uncirculated Coin – Tokyo International Coin Convention (ICC)
2020 $1 1oz Fine Silver Uncirculated Coin – Tokyo International Coin Convention (ICC)
A representation of a kookaburra perched on a branch with two leaves and one gumnut. In the background, a representation of the Turii gate at the Meiji-Jingu Shrine in Tokyo, Japan. The design includes the following inscriptions: “1oz .9999 Au” or “1oz .999 Ag” as the case requires; “ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS” or “ONE DOLLAR” as the case requires; and the initials of the designer Adam William Ball “AWB”.
Consistent with all Australian legal tender coinage, an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will appear on the obverse side of the coin together with the inscriptions “ELIZABETH II” and “AUSTRALIA” and the inscription, in numerals, of a year. The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Jody Clark “JC”.
2020 $100 1oz Gold Uncirculated Coin – Pittsburgh’s World Fair of Money (WFM)
2020 $1 1oz Fine Silver Uncirculated Coin – Pittsburgh’s World Fair of Money (WFM)
A representation of a kookaburra perched on a branch with two leaves and one gumnut. In the background, a representation of the Andy Warhol Bridge in Pittsburgh, United States of America. The design includes the following inscriptions: “1oz .9999 Au” or “1oz .999 Ag” as the case requires; “ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS” or “ONE DOLLAR” as the case requires; and the initials of the designer Adam William Ball “AWB”.
Consistent with all Australian legal tender coinage, an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will appear on the obverse side of the coin together with the inscriptions “ELIZABETH II” and “AUSTRALIA” and the inscription, in numerals, of a year. The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Jody Clark “JC”.
2020 $100 1oz Gold Uncirculated Coin – Beijing International Coin Expo (ICE)
2020 $1 1oz Fine Silver Uncirculated Coin – Beijing International Coin Expo (ICE)
A representation of a kookaburra perched on a branch with two leaves and one gumnut. In the background, a representation of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China. The design includes the following inscriptions: “1oz .9999 Au” or “1oz .999 Ag” as the case requires; “ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS” or “ONE DOLLAR” as the case requires; and the initials of the designer Adam William Ball “AWB”.
Consistent with all Australian legal tender coinage, an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will appear on the obverse side of the coin together with the inscriptions “ELIZABETH II” and “AUSTRALIA” and the inscription, in numerals, of a year. The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Jody Clark “JC”.
2020 $1 Black Swan Privy Mark Coin – Australian Numismatic Dealers Association Release
2020 $1 Brolga Privy Mark Coin – Australian Numismatic Dealers Association Release
2020 $1 Helmeted Honeyeater Privy Mark Coin – Australian Numismatic Dealers Association Release
2020 $1 Kookaburra Privy Mark Coin – Australian Numismatic Dealers Association Release
A stylised representation of five kangaroos. The design includes a privy mark consisting of, as the case requires, a representation of either a black swan, brolga, helmeted honeyeater or kookaburra enclosed in a square and the inscription “ONE DOLLAR”.
Consistent with all Australian legal tender coinage, an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will appear on the obverse side of the coin together with the inscriptions “ELIZABETH II” and “AUSTRALIA” and the inscription, in numerals, of a year. The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Jody Clark “JC”.