Australia announces new 100-dollar banknote

The Reserve Bank of Australia will issue a redesigned 100-dollar note in the second half of 2020. As with the existing banknote, the new 100-dollar note features Sir John Monash and Dame Nellie Melba.

From the press release: "Sir John Monash was an engineer, soldier and civic leader. He was a significant figure in the building-construction industry. Monash is also widely recognised for his service as a commander in the First World War. He led the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) during its successful campaigns in 1918 and subsequently managed the repatriation of Australian soldiers and presided over the AIF Education Scheme, which assisted with their transition to civilian life. Monash was instrumental in building the Shrine of Remembrance – which features on the banknote – in his hometown of Melbourne. He also served as the vice-chancellor of Melbourne University from 1923 to 1931.

Dame Nellie Melba was an internationally renowned soprano who performed in Australia, Europe and the United States of America in the late 19th and early 20th century. The banknote includes an image of Melba in costume as Rosina in Rossini's Barber of Seville and the monogram from the cover of her homecoming concert tour program of 1902. In addition to performing, Melba made important contributions to the arts through teaching at the Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music, now the Melba Opera Trust, in her home town of Melbourne. She also published the Melba Method (1926), an educational resource for singers.

As with the previously released denominations, the new banknote includes representations of Australian flora and fauna. The $100 features the Australian Masked Owl (Tyto novaehollandiae) and Australia's national floral emblem, the Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha), which is native to south-eastern Australia and southern inland areas of New South Wales. The wattle frames the edges of the top-to-bottom window on the banknote, which features a number of dynamic security elements such as the flying owl, and a reversing number '100'."