Australia's banknotes have many features designed to combat counterfeiting and the Reserve Bank has produced a Counterfeit Detection Guide to assist the public to detect and deal with counterfeits.
The names of the people on the banknotes were added to the design to make it easier for the public to identify the famous Australians featured. In 2002, the names were added to $10 and $20 banknotes. In 2003 the names were added to $50 banknotes, and in 2008 they were added to $100 banknotes. You can determine the year a banknote was manufactured by looking at the first two numbers of the serial number.
The presence or absence of the name under the portrait is not a determining factor when assessing whether a banknote is genuine. Australia's banknotes have many features designed to combat counterfeiting and the Reserve Bank of Australia has produced a Counterfeit Detection Guide to assist the public to detect and deal with counterfeits.
When Australian polymer banknotes were first printed, the signature of the Secretary to the Treasury appeared above that of the Governor of the Reserve Bank. However, from 2002 the signatures were reversed on new banknotes when they were printed. You can determine the year a banknote was manufactured by looking at the first two numbers of the serial number.
The order of the signatures is not a determining factor when assessing whether a banknote is genuine. Australia's banknotes have many features designed to combat counterfeiting and the Reserve Bank has produced a Counterfeit Detection Guide to assist the public to detect and deal with counterfeits.
A banknote with a slightly different colour is not necessarily an indicator that it is counterfeit. As banknotes circulate, colour may start to degrade depending on the treatment they sustain.
We recommend that you look at a range of security features to assist with identifying a counterfeit banknote. The Reserve Bank of Australia has a Quick Reference Counterfeit Detection Guide – both polymer series 1MB that is made available to the public and can be found on our website.
The Reserve Bank has upgraded the security of Australia's banknotes to ensure they remain secure against counterfeiting. The first denomination of this upgrade – the new $5 banknote – was issued in September 2016. More information about the upgrade program and the security features on the banknote can be found on our website.
The first polymer $5 banknotes were produced in 1992. The original $5 banknotes were much lighter in colour compared to current $5 banknotes. In 1995, the Reserve Bank issued a brighter $5 banknote in response to some concerns that it was difficult to distinguish from the $10 banknote, particularly in poor lighting conditions. The new $5 banknote also included two minor design changes: the style of the denomination numeral was brought into line with the bolder style on the other denominations and orientation bands were added along the top and bottom edges of the banknote. Both of these designs have the same security features.
A commemorative $5 banknote was also issued in 2001. More information about this banknote can be found on our website.
There are many quality-control processes in place to minimise variations in the size of banknotes; however, slight differences can occur during the manufacturing process. We do not recommend using the dimensions of a banknote to determine the authenticity of a banknote.
We recommend that you look at a range of security features to assist with identifying a counterfeit banknote. The Reserve Bank of Australia has a Quick Reference Counterfeit Detection Guide – both polymer series 1MB that is made available to the public and can be found on our website.
The intensity of the fluorescent patch when viewed under UV light can vary according to the ambient lighting conditions and the wavelength of the UV light source. As banknotes circulate, wear can also degrade the fluorescent emission. This tends to have a greater impact on the fluorescent patch than on the fluorescence of the serial number. To confirm authenticity, it would be necessary to examine other security features on the banknote.
If you would like any assistance or advice from the Reserve Bank in preparing a media release relating to counterfeit currency, please call 02 9551 9830 (8.30 am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday) or email info@rba.gov.au.
No. Australian counterfeiting rates are low, both in absolute terms and compared with other countries. Current counterfeit data can be found on our website.