EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Issued by authority of the Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury
Currency Act 1965
Currency (Australian Coins) Amendment (2025 Royal Australian Mint No. 12) 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 1 new circulating coin and 15 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.
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
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 policies. 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 (2025 Royal Australian Mint No. 12) 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 1 new circulating coin and 15 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 (2025 Royal Australian Mint No. 12) Determination 2025
This Attachment sets out further details of the Currency (Australian Coins) Amendment (2025 Royal Australian Mint No. 12) Determination 2025 (the Determination).
Section 1 – Name
This section provides that the name of the Determination is the Currency (Australian Coins) Amendment (2025 Royal Australian Mint No. 12) Determination 2025.
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 circulating coin
2026 $1 Circulating Coin – Mob of Six Roos
The design on the 2026 $1 circulating coin – Mob of Six Roos consists of a stylised representation of six kangaroos. The design includes the following inscription: “1 DOLLAR”.
Consistent with the tradition of an effigy of the reigning monarch 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 coin together with the inscriptions “CHARLES III”, “AUSTRALIA”, and the inscription, in numerals, of a year. The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Dan Thorne “DT”.
New non-circulating coins
2026 $1 ‘Brandenburg Gate’ Privy Mark Uncirculated Coin – Mob of Six Roos
2026 $10 Gold Proof Coin – Kangaroo Series – Mob of Six Roos
2026 $1 Fine Silver Proof Coin – Kangaroo Series – Mob of Six Roos
2026 $1 Fine Silver Frosted Uncirculated Coin – Kangaroo Series – Mob of Six Roos
The design on the 2026 coins – Mob of Six Roos consists of a stylised representation of six kangaroos. The design includes the following inscription: either “1 DOLLAR” or “10 DOLLARS” as the case requires. The ‘Brandenburg Gate’ coin includes a stylised representation of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, enclosed in a square.
Consistent with the tradition of an effigy of the reigning monarch 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 the inscription, in numerals, of a year. The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Dan Thorne “DT”.
2026 50c Coloured Uncirculated Coin – Celebrations
The design on the 2026 50c coloured uncirculated coin – Celebrations consists of a stylised representation of five kangaroos. A combination of circles and tubular shapes are incorporated into the representations of kangaroos, with eight coloured tubular shapes and one coloured circle, protruding from the centre of the design. The design includes the following inscriptions: “50”; and “AB” (being the initials of the designer Aaron Baggio) in a stylised form.
Consistent with the tradition of an effigy of the reigning monarch 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 coin together with the inscriptions “CHARLES III”, “AUSTRALIA”, and the inscription, in numerals, of a year. The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Dan Thorne “DT”.
2026 $1 Coloured Uncirculated Coin – Australian Winter Olympic Team
The design on the 2026 $1 coloured uncirculated coin – Australian Winter Olympic Team consists of a stylised representation of an aerial skier mid-ski jump, performing a mute grab with crossed skis. Partially obscured by the rim of the coin are stylised representations of snowflakes. There are two coloured wedges on either side of the skier, enclosing the following:
- elements from artworks Walking Together, by Indigenous artist Paul Fleming, and Ngalmun Danalaig (Our Way of Life), by Indigenous artist David Bosun; and
- the official logo of the Australian Olympic Committee.
The design includes the following inscriptions: “AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC TEAM”; “MILANO CORTINA 2026”; and “EW” (being the initials of the designer Elyssa Waterford) in a stylised form.
Consistent with the tradition of an effigy of the reigning monarch 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 coin together with the inscriptions “CHARLES III”, “AUSTRALIA”, the inscription, in numerals, of a year, 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 obverse design includes the initials of the designer Dan Thorne “DT”.
2026 $1 Coloured Uncirculated Coin – Australian Winter Paralympic Team
The design on the 2026 $1 coloured uncirculated coin – Australian Winter Paralympic Team consists of a stylised representation of a para-alpine skier descending a slope, with a trail of snow by their side. Partially obscured by the rim of the coin are stylised representations of snowflakes. There is a coloured wedge and a coloured semi-elliptical shape on either side of the skier, enclosing the following:
- elements from artwork Our Story, by Wiradjuri artist Uncle Paul Calcott.
The design includes the following inscriptions: “AUSTRALIAN PARALYMPIC TEAM”; “MILANO CORTINA 2026”; and “EW” (being the initials of the designer Elyssa Waterford) in a stylised form.
Consistent with the tradition of an effigy of the reigning monarch 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 coin together with the inscriptions “CHARLES III”, “AUSTRALIA”, the inscription, in numerals, of a year, 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 obverse design includes the initials of the designer Dan Thorne “DT”.
2026 $500 5oz Gold Proof Coin – Year of the Horse
2026 $30 1kg Fine Silver Proof Coin – Year of the Horse
The design on the 2026 coins – Year of the Horse consists of a crescent shape partially
obscured on the convex side by a stylised representation of a horse leaping over branches of a
Ginkgo biloba tree, and within the crescent shape, the Chinese language character (馬),
pronounced mǎ under the Pinyin system, and meaning horse. The design includes the
following inscriptions: “YEAR OF THE HORSE”; either “Xoz .9999 Au” or “Xkg .999 Ag” as the case requires (where “X” is the nominal weight in ounces or kilograms of the coin, expressed as a whole number or a common fraction in Arabic numerals); and a stylised representation of the initials “BS”, being the initials of the designer, Bronwyn Scott.
Consistent with the tradition of an effigy of the reigning monarch 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, enclosed in a central circle, and together with the inscriptions “CHARLES III”, “AUSTRALIA”, the inscription, in numerals, of a year, 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 obverse design includes the initials of the designer Dan Thorne “DT”. Surrounding the central circle is an ornamental border comprising stylised representations of splashing water and, immediately inside the rim of the coin, a stylised representation 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. The animal that relates to the relevant zodiac year appears at the top of the coin.
2026 20c ‘VIC’ Privy Mark Uncirculated Coin – ANDA Melbourne
2026 20c ‘QLD’ Privy Mark Uncirculated Coin – ANDA Brisbane
2026 20c ‘WA’ Privy Mark Uncirculated Coin – ANDA Perth
2026 20c ‘NSW’ Privy Mark Uncirculated Coin – ANDA Sydney
2026 20c ‘TAS’ Privy Mark Uncirculated Coin – ANDA Hobart
The design on the 2026 20c privy mark uncirculated coins – ANDA consists of a representation of a platypus in water. The design includes the following inscriptions: “20”; and a privy mark of the following nature:
- the letters “VIC”, denoting Victoria, enclosed in a square; or
- the letters “QLD”, denoting Queensland, enclosed in a square; or
- the letters “WA”, denoting Western Australia, enclosed in a square; or
- the letters “NSW”, denoting New South Wales, enclosed in a square; or
- the letters “TAS”, denoting Tasmania, enclosed in a square.
Consistent with the tradition of an effigy of the reigning monarch 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 the inscription, in numerals, of a year. The obverse design includes the initials of the designer Dan Thorne “DT”.
2026 $5 Fine Silver Proof Coin – Centenary of the Birth of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
2026 50c Uncirculated Coin – Centenary of the Birth of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
The design on the 2026 coins – Centenary of the Birth of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II consists of a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II at the centre of the coin. Above the portrait, there is the Royal cypher of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II surmounted with St Edward’s Crown. To the left of the portrait, there is a stylised representation of the badge of the Auxiliary Territorial Service. Surrounding the portrait are stylised representations of roses, myrtle, lily of the valley, and golden wattle flowers and sprigs. Intertwined in the flowers and sprigs, there are stylised representations of the following:
- two theatrical masks (Thalia and Melpomene); and
- a corgi; and
- a horse; and
- a painter’s palette.
The design includes the following inscriptions: “CENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II”; and “AS” being the initials of the designer Aleksandra Stokic.
Consistent with the tradition of an effigy of the reigning monarch 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”, the inscription, in numerals, of a year, 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 obverse design includes the initials of the designer Dan Thorne “DT”.