Timeline

• 19.11.1800
• Governor's Proclamation on the rating of various trade coins in the accounting currency:
  - Silver: Spanish Dollar (8 Spanish Reals) at 60 Pennies
  - Gold Portuguese Doubloon (6400 Portuguese Réis) at 80 Shillings; English Guinea (21 Shillings) at 22 Shillings
  - Copper: 1 ounce of coins or bullion at 2 Pennies.
• 01.07.1817
• Ordinance on the issuance of coins made by plugging and counter-stamping of Spanish Dollars:
  - Ring ("Holey Dollar") at 60 Pennies; centre plug ("Dump") at 15 Pennies.
  - 25.07.1822: Ordinance on the withdrawal of the "Holey Dollar" within six weeks and redemption at the original rate of 60 Pennies; effective immediately
  - 15.11.1822: Ordinance on the rating of the "Dump" as quarter of the Spanish Dollar (at the respective rate); effective 15.04.1823.
• 05.02.1823
• Government resolution to introduce the Spanish Dollar at 48 Pence Sterling as accounting currency; not implemented
• 28.09.1824
• Law [Cap. 1 (5 Geo. IV)] on the acceptance of promissory notes and bills of exchange denominated in Spanish Dollar; effective immediately
• 12.07.1826
• Law [Cap. 3 (7 Geo. IV)] on the adoption of the British currency and rating of the Spanish Dollar (specie) at 52 Pence Sterling, promissory notes and bills of exchange denominated in Spanish Dollar were no longer admissible; effective immediately
• 23.11.1829
• Resolution of the merchants and shopkeepers to accept the Spanish Dollar only at a rate of 50 Pence Sterling (this became the de facto official rate)
• 02.12.1854
• Law [Cap. 39 (18 Vic.)] on the establishment of a mint in Sydney and the issuance of gold coins (Sovereign and half Sovereign) for all Australian colonies (including New Zealand); effective upon opening of the mint on 14.05.1855 (amended by law ["Sydney Mint Act", Cap. 3&4 (28 Vic.) of 21.04.1865).
  - Validity of the gold coins extended to Hong Kong, Ceylon and Mauritius (1856), to Great Britain (1863), then to all British possessions (1866).
  - 15.06.1871: Adoption of the new unified design for British gold coins ("Dragon" sovereign) by the Sydney mint, implementing the royal proclamation of 14.01.1871.
• 18.07.1855
• Law [Cap. 3 (19 Vic.)] on the sole legal tender status of British and Australian gold coins, together with British subsidiary silver coins (demonetisation of the Spanish Dollar); effective immediately
• 03.05.1893
• Law ["Bank Issue Act", Cap. 15 (56 Vic.)] on the temporary issuance of paper money by the Treasury (during a financial crisis) while notes issued by commercial banks were lifted legal tender status; effective 26.06.1893 with a validity of 12 months
• 09.04.1894
• Law ["Bank Notes Act", Cap. 13 (57 Vic)] on the conditions under which notes issued by commercial banks were legal tender; effective immediately and with a validity of 18 months

Timeline

• 03.10.1866
• Queensland: Laws ["Treasury Notes Act", Cap. 11 (30 Vic.)] on the temporary issuance of paper money by the Treasury (during a financial crisis); effective 01.11.1866.
  - The issuance was discontinued in 1869.
• 02.06.1893
• Queensland: Laws ["Treasury Bills Act", Cap. 36 (56 Vic.)] and ["Treasury Notes Act", Cap. 37 (56 Vic.)] on the temporary issuance of paper money by the Treasury (during a financial crisis); effective immediately (?)
  - Amended by laws of 1895 [Cap. 33 (59 Vic.)] and 1902 [Cap. 20 (2 Edw. VII)] and 1911 [Cap. 3 (2 Geo. V)].


• 28.01.1852
• South Australia: Law [No. 1] on the assaying of uncoined gold (at a rate of 71 Shillings per fine ounce) and the issuance paper money by the Adelaide Assay Office; effective immediately and with an expiry of 12 calendar months.
  - 13.02.1852: Opening of the Adelaide Assay Office
  - 23.11.1852: Law [No. 14] on the issuance of coin-like ingots of 135 English Troy grains gold 22 carats fine (8.019 grams AU fine) which were (under) rated at 1 Pound Sterling; the issuance of "Bank Notes" by the Assay Office was not approved by the British government and therefore repealed.
  - 17.02.1853: Closure of the Adelaide Assay Office after the expiry of the "1852 Bullion Act" on 28.01.1853.


• 22.09.1826
• Tasmania (Van Diemens Land): Law [Cap. 3 (7 Geo. IV)] on the adoption of the British currency and rating of the Spanish Dollar at 52 Pence Sterling; effective immediately
  - 02.09.1835: Local resolution (without British government's consent) on the circulation of Indian silver coins at a rate of 1 Indian Sicca Rupee = 24 Pence Sterling.
• 28.11.1838
• Tasmania (Van Diemens Land): Law [Cap. 30 (2 Vic.)] on the importation of Mexican and Latin American silver coins for circulation at a rate of 1 Spanish Dollar at 52 Pence Sterling; effective immediately
• 14.09.1842
• Tasmania (Van Diemens Land): Law [Cap. 3 (6 Vic.)] on the demonetisation of the Mexican and Latin American silver coins; effective 01.10.1842


• 06.09.1867
• Victoria: Law [Cap. 307 (31 Vic.)] on the establishment of a mint in Melbourne; effective upon opening of the mint on 12.06.1872 (amended by law ["Victorian Mint Act", Cap. 1167 (54 Vic.)] of 08.12.1890)


• 28.08.1895
• Western Australia: Law ["Perth Mint Act", Cap. 12 (59 Vic.)] on the establishment of a mint in Perth; effective upon opening of the mint on 20.06.1899

Timeline

• 01.08.1896
• Ordinance [Order in Council] on the proclamation of the British Coinage Act 1870, amended 1891 to New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia; effective immediately (promulgated by the New Zealand government on 06.11.1896)

Timeline

• 04.09.1909
• Law ["Coinage Act", No. 6] on the introduction of Australian gold and subsidiary coins; effective 01.11.1910
• 16.09.1910
• Law ["Australian Notes Act", No. 11] on the issuance of paper money by the Commonwealth Treasury (prohibiting the issuance of paper money by different state governments); effective 01.11.1910
• 10.10.1910
• "Law ["Bank Notes Tax Act", No. 14] on the taxation of paper money issuance by commercial banks (the issuance remained tolerated but ceased as the tax made it commercially unattractive); effective 01.07.1911.
  - Private note issuance was formally terminated by law ["Banking Act", No. 14] of 03.08.1945.
• 01.11.1910
• Start of currency exchange:
  - 01.11.1910: Start of issuance of the new coinage, British coins remained in circulation
  - 01.12.1910: Start of overprinting of the paper money of 15 commercial banks and the Queensland government by the Commonwealth Treasury
  05.05.1913: Start of issuance of paper money by the Commonwealth Treasury.
• 22.12.1911
• Law ["Commonwealth Bank Act", No. 18] on the establishment of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia as state-owned commercial bank; effective upon constitution of the bank on 15.07.1912.
  - 30.11.1920: Law ["Commonwealth Bank Act", No. 43] on the constitution of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia as combined central and commercial bank, to take over paper money issuance from the Treasury; effective 14.12.1920
• 23.04.1959
• Law ["Reserve Bank Act", No. 4] on the establishment of the Reserve Bank of Australia as central bank; effective upon constitution of the bank on 14.01.1960

Valuation Regimes

• 1910-1966
• Fixed rate against British Pound

Timeline

• 10.12.1965
• Law ["Currency Act", No. 95] on the introduction of a decimal currency (replacing an earlier law ["Currency Act", No. 67] of 30.10.1963); effective 14.02.1966
• 14.02.1966
• Start of currency exchange:
  - 14.02.1966: Start of issuance of the new banknotes and coins
  - the former paper money and coins were not demonetized.

Valuation Regimes

• 1966-1967
• Fixed rate against British Pound
• 1967-1974
• Fixed rate against US Dollar
• 1974-
• Variable rate