Microprinting
Did you know Australia’s banknotes have areas of text unreadable to most human vision? The process in which this small text is applied is called microprinting. The text is approximately 0.25mm in height and can only be read with the help of a magnifying glass! The reason for its inclusion on our banknotes is for anti-counterfeiting purposes, as it is not easily reproduced by popular digital methods. The microprint not only keeps Australia’s banknotes safe but also tells us more about the people on our banknotes and Australia’s history.
Select one of the images below to learn the stories of the people on our banknotes and the histories that have helped shape the Australia we see today.
Australia’s Parliament$5 Banknote
Listen to the microprint excerpt from the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act. This is the legislation that describes the workings and powers of the Parliament.
Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act - Section 1. Legislative Power.
The legislative power of the Commonwealth shall be vested in a federal
parliament, which shall consist of the Queen, a senate, and a house of
representatives, and which is hereinafter called ‘The Parliament,’ or ‘The
Parliament of the Commonwealth.’
Our $5 banknote acknowledges Australia’s system of government, which is based on the Westminster System. In 1901, the first federal Parliament met in Melbourne at the Victorian Parliament House, before moving to Old Parliament House (as it is now known) in Canberra in 1927. The current federal Parliament meets at Parliament House in Canberra, which opened in 1988 and is the building depicted on the $5 note.
AB ‘Banjo’ Patterson$10 Banknote
Listen to the microprint excerpt from Paterson’s The Man from Snowy River, a ballad that still moves many to this day.
There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around
That the colt from old Regret had got away,
And had joined the wild bush horses - he was worth a thousand pound,
So all the cracks had gathered to the fray.
All the tried and noted riders from the stations near and far
Had mustered at the homestead overnight,
For the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are,
And the stockhorse snuffs the battle with delight.
There was Harrison, who made his pile when Pardon won the cup,
The old man with his hair as white as snow;
But few could ride beside him when his blood was fairly up -
He would go wherever horse and man could go.
And Clancy of the Overflow came down to lend a hand,
No better horseman ever held the reins;
For never horse could throw him while the saddle girths would stand.
Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson wrote the famous Australian poem, The Man From Snowy River, which was inspired by his experience of growing up in the outback on his family’s grazing land. He also wrote the lyrics of Waltzing Matilda – a rousing bush ballad that is widely considered Australia’s unofficial national anthem.
Dame Mary Gilmore$10 Banknote
Listen to the microprint excerpt from Dame Gilmore’s No Foe Shall Gather Our Harvest, a poem that united the Australian people against the growing fear of Japanese invasion.
So hail-fellow-met we muster,
And hail-fellow-met fall in,
Wherever the guns may thunder,
Or the rocketing ‘air mail’ spin!
Born of the soil and the whirlwind,
Though death itself be the gale –
No foe shall gather our harvest,
Or sit on our stockyard rail.
Dame Mary Gilmore was a writer, poet and political activist who began her career as a teacher in the country schools of New South Wales. She spent many years advocating social equality, and writing poetry that promoted her ideals. During the Second World War, Dame Gilmore wrote her most celebrated verse – No Foe Shall Gather Our Harvest – which rallied the nation and boosted morale during times of deep uncertainty.
Mary Reibey $20 Banknote
Listen to the microprint excerpt that lists the ships in Reibey’s fleet. These ships travelled the globe transporting goods for the people of Australia.
Import ships reports
Agent : Mary Reibey
Vessels include Edwin, Governor Macquarie, James, John Palmer, Mercury,
Raven
Mary Reibey was a highly respected business woman in colonial Australia. Reibey came to Australia as a convict, having been sentenced to transportation to New South Wales at the age of 13. After serving four years of her sentence, she married Thomas Reibey, who was in the business of trading goods. Reibey re-established herself as a free woman, and after her husband’s early death continued his affairs to even greater success. Reibey used this success to fund charitable initiatives and to support education and the church.
Reverend John Flynn$20 Banknote
Listen to the microprint excerpt from The Bushman’s Companion that captures Flynn’s love and respect for those living in Australia’s outback.
After all, it is not necessary to have met face to face to feel a sense of comradeship, we have a mutual love of the bush, and along with that, perhaps, a certain dread of it. If we have not shared discomforts and joys shoulder to shoulder, we have shared some of them, nevertheless, though widely separated. I trust that we will share them further occasionally in the future.
The Reverend John Flynn was a Presbyterian minister who had a passion for the outback and a heart for those who lived there. To support these communities he published The Bushman’s Companion, a guide for those living remotely. Flynn was also instrumental in establishing direct transport systems for doctors and nurses to reach all of Australia – known today as the Royal Flying Doctor’s Service.
David Unaipon$50 Banknote
Listen to the microprint excerpt from Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigines that evokes the connection Unaipon had to his culture. This excerpt is read by the grandniece of David Unaipon, Aunty Elaine Kropinyeri.
Nguldi Arndu/Welcome I am a proud Ngarrindjeri woman and a descendant of my Ngatju/Uncle David Unaipon, author, inventor and advocate for the rights of his people. These are the words of my Krantali Ngatju/Great Uncle from his book, Legendary Tales of the Australian Aboriginals. A record of some of our legends and stories.
As a full blooded member of my race, I think that I may claim to be the first, but I hope not the last, to produce an enduring record of our customs, beliefs and imaginings. Just as a mother and child is linked to each other before birth, so the nhung e umpie (or the umbilical cord) must be so linked as from mother and to child. The navel cord is a physical reality, so nhung e umpie should be so of true love, true fellowship and true respect.
David Unaipon was accomplished in several occupations – he was an inventor, musician and preacher. Not least, he was Australia’s first published First Nations author, with works including Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigines. Unaipon’s writings are still used today as key resources on the traditional First Nations stories that had previously been captured by oral tradition.
Edith Cowan $50 Banknote
Listen to the microprint excerpt from Cowan’s maiden speech, a call to action for change, equality and community.
I stand here today in the unique position of being the first woman in an
Australian Parliament.
It is a great responsibility to be the only woman here, and I want to
emphasise the necessity which exists for other women being here.
If men and women can work for the state side by side and represent all the
different sections of the community,
I cannot doubt that we should do very much better work in the community that
was ever done before.
Edith Cowan is best known for being the first female member of an Australian Parliament. In 1921, Cowan was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, where she advocated for children’s rights and strove to improve equality between women and men. In her maiden speech, she invited her fellow members to consider the benefits of including more women in their political decisions.
Dame Nellie Melba$100 Banknote
Listen to the microprint excerpt from Dame Melba’s memoir Melodies and Memories, in which she declares her connection to her home country.
If you wish to understand me at all … you must understand first and foremost, that I am an Australian.
Born in Melbourne, Dame Nellie Melba is best known for her career as an international operatic soprano, which brought her into an audience with well-known artists and royalty alike. During the First World War, Melba returned home to Australia and used her fame and talent to perform concerts for charity and raise money for the war effort. Melba’s ‘services in organising patriotic work’ earned her the honour of Dame of the British Empire. Despite her travels, Dame Melba always maintained that she was proud to be an Australian.
Sir John Monash $100 Banknote
Listen to the microprint excerpt from a letter written by Sir Monash that encapsulates one of his core beliefs. This excerpt is read by the grandson of Sir John Monash, Colin Bennett.
Adopt as your fundamental creed that you will equip yourself for life not solely for your own benefit but for the benefit of the whole community.
Sir John Monash was a civil engineer and military commander, esteemed for his decisive role in the Allies’ victory in the First World War. Monash was a man of community, and contributed greatly to Australian society in times of both peace and war. He was passionate about education, studying degrees in arts and law as well as engineering at the University of Melbourne – his strong foundations in scholarly endeavours supported his sense of civic duty. During his service, he also studied military history and theory, eventually writing 100 Hints for Company Commanders, which became a standard training document.