Key PointsThe first Australian coin to feature King Charles III will appear before the end of the year.But federal MP Bob Katter says the decision to feature him is “un-Australian”.He suggested alternatives and pointed to two men specifically, but not any women.
Bob Katter has suggested Australian heroes should be featured on the nation’s coins instead of King Charles III, and has offered a number of alternatives who he believes would be more suitable.
And while the federal MP made specific mention of two men, he did not name any women.
The Member for Kennedy said it was “un-Australian” for coins to feature a foreign monarch and said Australians should be considered instead.
“Australians do not believe that any one individual is born superior to another,” he said.
“And now we’re affirming this inequality by displaying a man who has done nothing for this country on our coin.
“What a slap in the face to the great heroes of this nation – who built and developed our industries and economies.”
Katter suggested soldiers or First Nations warriors.
“How about an Australian soldier who has defended this nation; perhaps a soldier who fought along the brutal Kokoda Trail.
“Or, a Kalkadoon warrior, holding a woomera and spear.”
Bob Katter also jokingly put forward his own proposed coin design. Source: Supplied / Bob Katter
He also suggested Sir Leo Hielscher — who had a 68-year career in the Queensland public service, who was once described by former state premier Peter Beattie as “one of the unsung heroes of Queensland economic development” — or engineer Dr John Bradfield, who was the chief proponent of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Katter also jokingly put himself forward, saying “if all else failed” a portrait of him fighting a crocodile could be used on the coin.
“That’s still a considerable improvement to an English aristocrat who has only visited Australia on a handful of occasions,” he said.
The , which will start appearing in banks and cash registers across the country before the end of the year, according to the Royal Australian Mint.
The other denominations will be progressively released in 2024, based on bank demand.
The image of King Charles III is the official Commonwealth effigy and was designed by the Royal Mint in London and given royal approval.
In line with tradition, King Charles will appear on coins facing left, in an about-face from the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II who faced right.
Much like the Queen’s first image on Australian coins, King Charles’s first appearance on currency does not feature him wearing a crown.
