EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Issued by authority of the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury
Currency Act 1965
Currency (Australian Coins) Amendment (2025 Perth Mint No. 5) Determination 2025
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 10 new non-circulating coins proposed to be issued by The Perth 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.
The Determination is a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislation Act 2003. The Determination is not subject to sunsetting under the Legislation Act 2003 on the grounds that the instrument ensures economic certainty (see item 20 of the table in section 12 of the Legislation (Exemptions and Other Matters) Regulation 2015). The instrument’s operation is integral in ensuring that the currency produced by the Mints becomes, and remains, legal tender unless or until returned to a mint to be taken out of circulation in accordance with the Currency Act 1965.
Consultation
The Perth Mint undertook consultation among its network of Australian and international wholesale distributors. Authorised Australian distributors of The Perth Mint products are consulted regularly during business meetings and participation at the Australian Numismatic Dealers’ Association Coin, Banknote and Stamp shows. Likewise, international distributors were consulted during a schedule of individual meetings hosted during the World Money Fair held in Berlin and the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money.
Limited consultation was conducted with external parties due to the confidentiality of coin themes and artwork, due to the risk of competitors viewing the innovations and potentially releasing similar coins into the market prior to the release.
Members of the public have the opportunity to contact The Perth Mint to present any themes they would like to see commemorated on Australian legal tender. These concepts are then researched and presented to The Perth Mint’s sales and marketing department for consideration and feedback.
Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights
Prepared in accordance with Part 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011
Currency (Australian Coins) Amendment (2025 Perth Mint No. 5) Determination 2025
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 10 new non-circulating coins proposed to be issued by The Perth 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 (2025 Perth Mint No. 5) Determination 2025
Section 1 – Name
This section provides that the name of the Determination is the Currency (Australian Coins) Amendment (2025 Perth Mint No. 5) Determination 2025.
Section 2 – Commencement
This section prescribes that the Determination commences on the day after the Determination is registered on the Federal Register of Legislation.
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.
$25 2026 1/4oz Gold H.M. Queen Elizabeth II 100th Anniversary Coin
$100 2026 1oz Gold H.M. Queen Elizabeth II 100th Anniversary Coin
$200 2026 2oz Gold H.M. Queen Elizabeth II 100th Anniversary High Relief Coin
$1 2026 1oz Silver H.M. Queen Elizabeth II 100th Anniversary Coin
$8 2026 5oz Silver H.M. Queen Elizabeth II 100th Anniversary Coin
$1 2026 13.5g Base Metal H.M. Queen Elizabeth II 100th Anniversary Coin
The design on the 2026 H.M. Queen Elizabeth II 100th anniversary coins consist of, in the foreground, the following five effigies of Queen Elizabeth II as featured on Australian coins during her reign:
- Mary Gillick’s 1952 design is enclosed in a circle; and
- Arnold Machin’s 1964 design is enclosed in a circle; and
- Raphael Maklouf’s 1985 design is enclosed in a circle; and
- Ian Rank-Broadley’s 1998 design is enclosed in a circle; and
- Jody Clarke’s 2019 design is enclosed in a square with concave sides; and
In the background, accenting the effigies are the following:
- around the centre effigy, representations of royal filigree; and
- around the effigies enclosed in circles, representations of acacia pycnantha (commonly known as golden wattle); and
In the background, there are also representations of the following:
- the St Edward’s Crown; and
- a sceptre; and
- an orb; and
- a Tudor rose; and
There are dots forming a partial border immediately inside the rim of the coin. The design includes the following inscriptions: “H.M. QUEEN ELIZABETH II 100th ANNIVERSARY”; the inscription, in Arabic numerals of a year; “NM” (being the initials of designer Natasha Muhl); and “P”.
Consistent with the tradition of an effigy of the reigning sovereign appearing on the obverse side of all Australian legal tender coinage, an effigy of His Majesty King Charles III will appear on the obverse side of the coins together with the inscriptions “CHARLES III”, “AUSTRALIA”, and Arabic numerals for the amount, in dollars or cents, of the denomination of the coin followed by “DOLLAR”, “DOLLARS” or “CENTS” as the case requires. The design on the gold and silver coins include the inscription “Xoz 9999 Ag” or “Xoz 9999 Au” as the case requires (where “X” is the nominal weight in ounces of the coin, expressed as a whole number or a common fraction in Arabic numerals). The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Dan Thorne “DT”.
$1 2026 1oz Silver H.M. Queen Elizabeth II 100th Anniversary Gold-Plated Coin
$8 2026 5oz Silver H.M. Queen Elizabeth II 100th Anniversary Gold-Plated Coin
The design on the 2026 silver H.M. Queen Elizabeth II 100th anniversary gold-plated coins consists of a pattern of dots forming a partial border immediately inside a gold-plated rim. There is a gold-plated stylised representation of a lion wearing the Tudor Crown. Behind the lion, a gold-plated stylised representation of a kangaroo holding a bouquet of acacia pycnantha (commonly known as golden wattle) and filigree. There is also a decorative mantle, on which the lion and kangaroo are standing. The design includes the following inscriptions: “H.M. QUEEN ELIZABETH II 100th ANNIVERSARY”; the inscription, in Arabic numerals, of a year; “NM” (being the initials of designer Natasha Muhl); and “P”. The design is based on the 1954 Royal Visit commemorative florin, released that year for Queen Elizabeth II’s first tour of Australia.
Consistent with the tradition of an effigy of the reigning sovereign appearing on the obverse side of all Australian legal tender coinage, an effigy of His Majesty King Charles III will appear on the obverse side of the coins together with the inscriptions “CHARLES III”, “AUSTRALIA”, Arabic numerals for the amount, in dollars or cents, of the denomination of the coin followed by “DOLLAR”, “DOLLARS” or “CENTS” as the case requires, and “Xoz 9999 Ag” (where “X” is the nominal weight in ounces of the coin, expressed as a whole number or a common fraction in Arabic numerals). The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Dan Thorne “DT”. The rim is gold-plated.
$1 2026 1oz Silver H.M. Queen Elizabeth II 100th Anniversary Coloured Coin
$8 2026 5oz Silver H.M. Queen Elizabeth II 100th Anniversary Coloured Coin
The design on the 2026 silver H.M. Queen Elizabeth II 100th anniversary coloured coins consists of a pattern of dots forming a partial border immediately inside the rim. In the foreground, in colour, a representation of Queen Elizabeth II from her 1954 Royal Visit to Australia, wearing her golden wattle gown by Norman Hartnell, adorned with stylised acacia pycnantha (commonly known as golden wattle) motifs, a golden yellow shawl, blue Garter riband, and a sprig of golden wattle on her shoulder. In the background is a stylised representation of The Queen’s Australian Wattle brooch featuring tea tree blossoms, and mimosa leaves. The design includes the following inscriptions: “H.M. QUEEN ELIZABETH II”; “100th ANNIVERSARY”; the inscription, in Arabic numerals of a year; “NM” (being the initials of designer Natasha Muhl); and “P”.
Consistent with the tradition of an effigy of the reigning sovereign appearing on the obverse side of all Australian legal tender coinage, an effigy of His Majesty King Charles III will appear on the obverse side of the coins together with the inscriptions “CHARLES III”, “AUSTRALIA”, Arabic numerals for the amount, in dollars or cents, of the denomination of the coin followed by “DOLLAR”, “DOLLARS” or “CENTS” as the case requires, and “Xoz 9999 Ag” (where “X” is the nominal weight in ounces of the coin, expressed as a whole number or a common fraction in Arabic numerals). The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Dan Thorne “DT”.