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One thing you can say about Australians is they certainly know how to make money. This might seem like a slightly strange compliment, but just wait until you see the country’s new futuristic banknote.
Their dollar bills are already miles ahead of ours, being waterproof and untearable (and also in great Monopoly-esque colours). The new $5 note is a step even further.
So let’s break down all the features of the new bank note. It has tactile marking for the visually impaired, a clear top to bottom window, a rolling colour effect, a flying Eastern Spinebill (a bird, FYI), a Federation Star and a number five that reverses when you tilt the note. Phew. These aren’t just features to make it look great, but are security measures that make it extremely difficult to forge.
The raised bumps came after a petition launched by 12-year-old Connor McLeod, who has been blind from birth, and his mother asking the Reserve Bank of Australia to make a change in the accessibility of their bank notes. The petition gained more than 57,000 signatures, and the new notes mean that the visually impaired no longer have to rely on others to identify a $5 note.
From next year the Bank of England will follow suit and introduce raised bumps on the new £10 and £20 notes (the £5 note being identifiable from its lack of bump). We’re hoping that they’ll also introduce some new features to make it half as cool as the Australian money.
