First published in The Age on July 8, 1992

Banknote designer defends ‘unique’ $5

The designer of Australia’s new $5 note yesterday defended his design amid criticism that the note was boring.

Mr Bruce Stewart, the chief designer at Note Printing Australia, said the note was at the “cutting edge of new technology” and the first of its kind in the world.

Security rather than beauty was his first priority. “They are not just graphics, they are security graphics. Maybe changing the design was not a favoured step in some people’s eyes but there is not a banknote like it in the world,” he said.

The plastic substrate for the note, two million of which went into circulation yesterday, was harder to work with than paper, he said. This had led to lighter, more pastel, colours than on the old note.

The president of the Melbourne Chapter of the International Banknote Society, Mr Stephen Prior, said the new note was “not near bold enough”.

“It is not as striking as the old notes. The colours are too weak and it doesn’t represent a step forward in design.

“I think the public will reaction unfavourably to it at first, but that is usual in most new currency issues. People don’t like change.”