The owl makes the bank note difficult to counterfeit. Photo / File
The owl makes the bank note difficult to counterfeit. Photo / File
The Reserve Bank of Australia has revealed the design of the new $100 banknote which has new security features.
This little owl has a rolling colour effect when the note is tilted and is visible on both sides.
The five dots above the owl are raised bumps for people who are vision impaired.
The clear top to bottom window also has multiple security features - if you tilt the note you can see a three-dimensional fan with colourful lines and the colours change within the owl's wings.
Other security features include tiny, clearly defined text in multiple locations on the banknote, and an owl and wattle branch that glow under UV light.
"Perhaps the most obvious is a clear top-to-bottom window that runs from the top to the bottom of the banknote," Lindsay Boulton, Reserve Bank Assistant Governor, told Sunrise.
"There's also micro-text on the banknote, so very small printing that is less than a quarter of a millimetre in height."
It is the final denomination to be redesigned as part of the Next Generation Banknote Program.
The banknote will be released into circulation in the second half of 2020.
As with the existing banknote, the new $100 features Dame Nellie Melba and Sir John Monash. Photo / File
As with the existing banknote, the new $100 features Sir John Monash and Dame Nellie Melba.
Governor Philip Lowe said Australians should feel proud of their banknotes.
"They are innovative and contain world-leading security features that keep the banknotes secure," he said.
"The new $100 banknote celebrates the contributions that two outstanding Australians – Sir John Monash and Dame Nellie Melba – made to our society."
The full range of security features explained. Photo / File
The note features the Australian masked owl and Australia's national floral emblem, the golden wattle, which is native to southeastern Australia and southern inland areas of NSW.
Existing $100 banknotes remain legal tender and can continue to be used.
The $100 bill is actually the second most issued note, behind the $50.
The bank notes have a range of security features on both sides. Photo / File
"That's because being the largest denomination banknote, it tends to be used more as a store of value, rather than a medium of exchange," Boulton said.
"It might not be their preferred method of payment, but they still want to hold it in their wallets, to cover for those circumstances where they may not be able to use cards, such as credit cards and debit cards or in circumstances where the use of a card may be more expensive."
