Note Printing Australia (NPA), which is located in Craigieburn, Melbourne, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of Australia and was corporatised in July 1998. NPA has its origins as a subsidiary of the Commonwealth Bank that was first established in 1913 to print banknotes for Australia. After printing paper banknotes for Australia for 75 years NPA introduced the first polymer banknote technology in 1988. Craigieburn may refer to the following place names: Craigieburn, Victoria, Australia Craigieburn, New Zealand This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Melbournes Yarra River is popular area for walking, jogging, cycling and relaxing on the banks with a picnic Melbourne (pronounced either or [1]) is the second most populous city in Australia with a metropolitan area population of approximately 3. ... Reserve Bank of Australia in Martin Place, Sydney The Reserve Bank of Australia came into being on the 14th January 1960 to operate as Australias central bank and banknote issuing authority. ... The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (commonly just the Commonwealth Bank) is the second largest bank in Australia, after the National Australia Bank. ... Polymer is a term used to describe molecules consisting of structural units and a large number of repeating units connected by covalent chemical bonds. ...

Polymer Banknote Technology

Old $20 Paper Note

$20 Polymer Note

$50 Polymer Note

Polymer Note with hologram

At the dawn of the 21st century, advanced reprographic devices are making counterfeiting more attractive than ever before. With the counterfeiting threat this technology poses, it is surprising that most of the world's most sophisticated economies still use paper banknotes. Image File history File links Charles_Kingsford_smith_20_dollar_note_front_big. ... Image File history File links Charles_Kingsford_smith_20_dollar_note_front_big. ... Australian $20 note, back. ... Australian $20 note, back. ... Australian $50 note, front. ... Australian $50 note, front. ... Australian $10 note. ... Australian $10 note. ...

NPA produced Australia's first polymer banknote in 1988, setting a new world standard in banknote technology. The numerous benefits of polymer banknotes include improved security, durability, cost effectiveness, processability and environmental responsibility.

By 1996, Australia had issued the world's first complete series of circulating polymer banknotes.

NPA has also produced polymer notes for Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Kuwait, Samoa, New Zealand, Romania, Bangladesh, Solomon Islands, Mexico, Nepal, Vietnam, and Chile, with over 9 billion polymer banknotes currently circulating worldwide.

Benefits of Polymer Notes

• Greater Security - Polymer notes are time-consuming and costly to reproduce to a standard that can readily be passed as genuine. Other features include Windows which can incorporate security devices such as vignettes, DOVDs and embossing (which cannot be copied on regular banknotes), and it is aknowledged that other security features of polymer banknotes are much more complex to reproduce.

• Environmental Responsibility - Polymer banknotes in circulation last around four times longer than paper notes, reducing new note requirements and note disposal by up to 75%. Polymer Notes can also be easily recycled compared to regular notes; which are usually incinerated.

• Cost Effectivness - paper notes have an average life in circulation of eight months. Today, by contrast, the polymer notes usually last at least 30 months; this reduces reprinting redistribution and destruction costs. Polymer notes also do not degrade readily in the presence of water (thus humidity) and therefore increases their cost effectiveness and lowers their environmental impact.

See also

• Reserve Bank of Australia
• Royal Australian Mint
• Australian dollar

Reserve Bank of Australia in Martin Place, Sydney The Reserve Bank of Australia came into being on the 14th January 1960 to operate as Australias central bank and banknote issuing authority. ... The Royal Australian Mint is situated in the Australian federal capital city of Canberra, in the suburb of Deakin. ... ISO 4217 Code AUD User(s) Australia, Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island Inflation 4% (Australia only) Source Reserve Bank of Australia, June 2006 Subunit 1/100 cent Symbol $ or AUD Coins 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c , $1, $2 Banknotes $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 Central...

External links

• Note Printing Australia