Australia printed 46 million new banknotes. They all contain a spelling mistake
The note came into circulation on October 18, 2018 with new security features designed to deter counterfeiting
Millions of A$50 (US$35) banknotes in Australia have an embarrassing typographical error that was overlooked by the country’s central bank before they were printed and circulated.
The goof first became known on Thursday when a listener on radio outlet Triple M sent the station a magnified photo of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) new A$50 note highlighting the word “responsibility” misspelt as “responsibilty” three times.
The A$50 currency is the most widely circulated in Australia and accounts for nearly half the total value of other banknotes in use, according to the RBA.
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The “new and improved” S$50 note came into circulation on October 18, 2018 with new security features designed to deter counterfeiting and with tactile elements for the visually impaired.
It sports a headshot of Edith Cowan, who served as the first woman elected to an Australian legislature from 1921-24.
The typo appears in an excerpt of Cowan’s maiden speech to Western Australia’s parliament, which features on the A$50 note.
The quote, which is repeated over on the banknote, reads: “It is a great responsibilty (sic) to be the only woman here and I want to emphasise the necessity which exists for other women being here.”
An RBA spokeswoman said in an emailed statement the Bank “is aware of it and the spelling will be corrected at the next print run”.
The Bank said in its latest annual report its note printing subsidiary delivered 227 million Australian banknotes in 2017-18, including around 184 million new series A$50 banknotes.
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The RBA did not immediately respond to questions on exactly how many of the new notes were in circulation and whether they would be withdrawn as a result of the spelling error.
Australia was the first country to use polymer banknotes, which were invented by the CSIRO and introduced in 1988. Compared with paper notes, polymer has increased durability and security and makes it easier to include features to help those who are vision-impaired.
The new A$50 introduced a tactile feature of four raised bumps on the banknote to help people identify it. All Australian notes are different sizes and colours for similar reasons.
Additional reporting by The Guardian
