The Commonwealth of Australia was established in 1901 when the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia agreed to unite. The Australian Notes Act of 1910 assigned responsibility for the issue of banknotes to the Commonwealth Treasury, and the first paper money, a 10 shilling note, was produced in 1913. There have been eight major series of Australian paper money. Highlights of this history include the transition to decimal currency (from pounds to dollars) in 1966, and the world’s first issuance of polymer banknotes in 1992.
