Australian twenty-dollar note

Twenty Dollars
(Australia)
Value20 Australian dollars
Width144 mm
Height65 mm
Security featuresWindow, Watermark
Material usedPolymer
Years of printing1994–1998, 2002–2003, 2005–2008, 2010, 2013, 2019–2021
Obverse
DesignMary Reibey
Designeremerystudio
Design date9 October 2019
Reverse
DesignJohn Flynn
Designeremerystudio
Design date9 October 2019

The Australian twenty-dollar note was issued when the currency was changed from the Australian pound to the Australian dollar on 14 February 1966.[1] It replaced the £10 note which had similar orange colouration. There have been only three different issues of this denomination: a paper note which had a gradient of yellow and red, with a distinct orange background, and two designs of polymer note which can be recognised for their distinct red-orange colouration, and so it was nicknamed a "lobster". The first polymer note was issued on 31 October 1994[2] and the Next Generation polymer banknote was issued on 9 October 2019.

As of June 2017, 164 million $20 banknotes were in circulation, 11% of the total notes in circulation; worth $3,286 million, or 4% of the total value for all denominations.[3]

Since the start of issuance there have been 14 signature combinations, of which the 1967 issue is of the greatest value, issued for one year only; and the 1989 Phillip/Fraser being issued for less than a year.

From 1966 to 1974 the main title identifying the country was Commonwealth of Australia, there were 146,960,000 notes issued in its life. This was subsequently changed to Australia until the end of the issuance of paper currency for this denomination in 1994 with 1,661,970,048 of these notes being issued.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference rba-mus-first-dec was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "$20 BANKNOTE". Banknotes in Circulation. Reserve Bank of Australia. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  3. ^ "DISTRIBUTION-CIRCULATION AND PRODUCTION STATISTICS, AS AT END JUNE 2017". banknotes.rba.gov.au. Reserve Bank of Australia. June 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.