History of the Industry Engagement Program

At the start of the Next Generation Banknote (NGB) program, it was estimated there were around half a million pieces of equipment, including ATMs, self-service checkouts, gaming machines and vending machines in Australia that needed to accept and recognise the new banknotes.

In acknowledgment of the significant impact the new series would have on the industry, the Reserve Bank began engaging with banknote equipment manufacturers in 2009, prior to the public announcement of the program in 2012. The Reserve Bank worked closely with banknote equipment manufacturers, deployers and owners of banknote processing equipment to prepare for the release of the NGB series. As part of the engagement program, the Bank provided test banknotes to banknote equipment manufacturers, to ensure that equipment could transport, authenticate, count and process Australia’s banknotes. Test material was also made available to retailers so that they could confirm that their machines had been upgraded satisfactorily.

There was also more than 1.2 million retail staff who needed to be familiar with the new security features to ensure they were not vulnerable to accepting a counterfeit. Through the Reserve Bank's outreach program we engaged organisations and representative bodies across a range of sectors such as retail, banking and hospitality (fast food, gaming and clubs) and provided materials to assist them with educating their staff, customers and clients about the new banknote series and the new security features.