The Reserve Bank of Australia has revealed the design of the next generation $10 note, bearing new security features similar to those featured on the $5 note released in September last year.
The new $10 note, set to be rolled out on September 1, a year after the new $5, will retain many key elements of its previous design including images of the two writers whose faces graced its predecessor. "The $10 banknote celebrates two famous Australian writers, Dame Mary Gilmore and AB ‘Banjo’ Paterson. Their work is recognised in several design elements on the banknote, including images of a pen nib in two of the clear windows and excerpts of their poetry in microprint," said RBA governor Philip Lowe.
Each note in the new series will also feature a species of Australian wattle and an Australian bird - in the case of the $10, these are the bramble wattle and the sulphur-crested cockatoo.
New security features on the updated $10 and all the notes in the new series will include rolling colour patches, a clear strip from top to bottom, and images that fluoresce under ultraviolet light. Tactile features are also included for the vision-impaired community, including two raised bumps near the top of the $10 (as opposed to one on the $5).
"The new banknotes are the culmination of many years of research and trial and extensive consultation with subject-matter experts and the cash-handling industry, as well as qualitative research involving focus groups," said former RBA governor Glenn Stevens last year.
All Australian banknotes are printed by Note Printing Australia (NPA), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank. The printing process is complex and highly involved, incorporating offset, intaglio and letterpress stages to maximise security against counterfeiting. The Reserve Bank declined to comment on the specific machinery used.