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. 7) 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 8 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. 7) 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 8 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. 7) Determination 2025
This Attachment sets out further details of the Currency (Australian Coins) Amendment (2025 Royal Australian Mint No. 7) 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. 7) 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
2025 $2 Coloured Circulating Coin – 80th Anniversary of the End of World War II
The design on the 2025 $2 coloured circulating coin – 80th anniversary of the end of World War II consists of a coloured stylised representation of a wreath of poppy plants with eight flowers, leaves and a ribbon intertwined. Surrounding the wreath, there are stylised representations of flowers and leaves. The design includes the following inscriptions: “REMEMBERING WWII”; “80 YEARS”; and a stylised representation of the initials “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 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”.
New non-circulating coins
2025 $2 ‘C’ Mintmark Coloured Uncirculated Coin – 80th Anniversary of the End of World War II
2025 $2 ‘C’ Mintmark Coloured Fine Silver Proof Coin – 80th Anniversary of the End of World War II
The design on the 2025 $2 ‘C’ mintmark coloured coins – 80th anniversary of the end of World War II consists of a coloured stylised representation of a wreath of poppy plants with eight flowers, leaves and a ribbon intertwined. Surrounding the wreath, there are stylised representations of flowers and leaves. The design includes the following inscriptions: “REMEMBERING WWII”; “80 YEARS”; the letter “C” denoting Canberra; and a stylised representation of the initials “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”.
2026 50c Proof Coin – 60 Years of Decimal Currency
2026 50c Uncirculated Coin – 60 Years of Decimal Currency
2026 50c Fine Silver Proof Coin – 60 Years of Decimal Currency
2026 50c Gold Proof Coin – 60 Years of Decimal Currency
The design on the 2026 50c coins – 60 years of decimal currency consists of stylised representations of the following symbols, contained within circular borders:
- a small scroll beneath the word “PENNY”, as historically depicted on the Australian halfpenny; and
- a merino ram’s head as historically depicted on the Australian shilling, with two stars partially obscuring the border; and
- the Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth (1908 to 1912), as historically depicted on the Australian sixpence; and
- three stalks of grain partially obscuring a ribbon, as historically depicted on the Australian threepence; and
- the British Crown, as historically depicted on the Australian crown coin; and
- the current Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth, as historically depicted on the Australian florin; and
- a bounding kangaroo, as historically depicted on the Australian penny.
There is a pattern of triangles, and partially obscured by the triangles and symbols, are thick textured lines. The design includes the following inscriptions: “60 YEARS OF DECIMAL CURRENCY”; and “50”.
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 10c Proof Coin – 60 Years of Decimal Currency
2026 10c Uncirculated Coin – 60 Years of Decimal Currency
2026 10c Fine Silver Proof Coin – 60 Years of Decimal Currency
2026 10c Gold Proof Coin – 60 Years of Decimal Currency
The design on the 2026 10c coins – 60 years of decimal currency consists of shapes representing the rims and edges of Australian circulating decimal currency coins including:
- a partial dodecahedron; and
- a circle, partially obscured by the dodecahedron; and
- inside the dodecahedron, a partial circle with an interrupted milled edge; and
- two partial circles, one with a continuously milled edge and the other an interrupted milled edge.
The design includes the following inscription: “10”.
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”.