{"id":"F2008B00127","name":"Currency Determination No. 6 of 1997","slug":"currency-determination-no-6-of-1997","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":72592,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2008B00127-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Currency Determination No. 6 of 1997","content":"Commonwealth of Australia\n\nCurrency Act 1965\n\nCurrency Determination No. 6 of 1997\n\nI, CHARLES RODERICK KEMP, Assistant Treasurer, acting for the Treasurer, make the following Determination under subsection 13A (1) of the Currency Act 1965.\n\nDated 16 September 1997.\n\nC.R. KEMP\n\nAssistant Treasurer\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nCitation\n\n1. This Determination may be cited as Currency Determination No. 6 of 1997.\n\nCommencement\n\n2. This Determination commences on 19 November 1997.\n\nSpecifications of coins\n\n3. This Determination specifies, for a coin having the denomination and standard composition mentioned in columns 1 and 2 of Part 1 of the Schedule, the standard weight, and allowable variation from that weight, the dimensions and the design mentioned in columns 3, 4 and 5 of that Part.\n\nApplication of Determination\n\n4. This Determination does not affect any other determination of the specifications of a coin.\n\nSCHEDULE Clause 3\n\nPART 1—SPECIFICATIONS OF COIN\n\n```html\n

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

Column 4

Column 5

Denomination

Standard

composition

Standard weight

and allowable

Dimensions

Design

variation (g)

(1)

Diameter

(mm)

(2)

Thickness

(mm)

(1)

Shape

(2)

Edge

(3)

Obverse

(4)

Reverse

$1

99.9% silver

31.635 0.500

40.60

4.00

S1

E1

O1

R53

\n```\n\nPART 2—EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS\n\n| Design Feature | Symbol | Explanation |\n| -------------- | ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Shape | S1 | Circular |\n| Edge | E1 | Milled |\n| Obverse | O1 | A circle of raised beads, immediately inside the rim, enclosing the inscriptions:(a) “ELIZABETH II”; and(b) “AUSTRALIA”; and(c) “1 DOLLAR”;that, in turn, surround an effigy of the Queen. |\n| Reverse | R53 | A circle of raised beads, immediately inside the rim, enclosing the inscriptions:(a) “THE AUSTRALIAN KOOKABURRA 1OZ. 999 SILVER”; and(b) “1997”;that, in turn, surround:(c) a representation of a kookaburra, and young, in the hollow of a tree; and(d) a smaller circle enclosing, in gold cameo, a representation of a giant panda and bamboo. |","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This Determination remains tightly scoped to its original purpose: authorising a specific commemorative/bullion coin issue. It does not expand beyond the technical specification function contemplated by the Currency Act 1965."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument (4 operative clauses plus schedule)","Single-purpose: specifies only one coin type","Minimal cross-referencing (only one reference to parent Act, Currency Act 1965)","Technical specifications presented in tabular format rather than dense legislative prose","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested definitions","Only 4 defined symbols in Part 2 (S1, E1, O1, R53)"],"plain_english_summary":"The Assistant Treasurer authorised a 1997 legal‑tender 1‑dollar silver bullion coin: a 1‑ounce (31.635 g ±0.5 g), 99.9% pure silver piece with specified diameter and thickness, featuring Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse and a kookaburra with chick on the reverse. \n\nUniquely, this issue includes a small gold panda cameo on the reverse. The Determination fixes the coin’s legal, weight and fineness standards, protecting its authenticity and collector/investor value."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This Determination stays within the original and intended scope of the Currency Act power to specify the physical characteristics of coins (see heading and cl. 3). It does not expand the law’s purpose: it sets the specifications for one particular coin design and explicitly preserves other existing determinations (cl. 4). There is no substantive growth beyond specifying a coin’s metal, weight tolerances, dimensions and designs."},"complexity_factors":["Short instrument: 4 clauses plus a Schedule (concise overall length).","Single substantive specification: only one coin (Denomination $1) described in Schedule Part 1.","Four design symbols in Part 2 (S1, E1, O1, R53) summarise shape/edge/obverse/reverse rather than many defined terms.","Numeric tolerances present (weight ±0.500 g, dimensions) but no nested conditional rules or multiple exception layers.","Minimal cross-references: cites only Currency Act s.13A(1), plus internal references to clauses and Schedule.","No interpretive/definition section and no complex compliance regimes — mechanical specification only.","Schedule contains mixed technical and artistic description (including a gold cameo) which raises production complexity but not legal complexity."],"plain_english_summary":"**What this instrument does (mechanically)**\n\n- It is a formal specification, made under subsection 13A(1) of the Currency Act 1965, for a particular Australian coin. (See heading and first paragraph: authority.)\n- It becomes effective on 19 November 1997 (cl. 2).\n- It prescribes the physical and design specifications for a single coin: a $1 denomination coin made of 99.9% silver. The Schedule sets:\n - the standard weight and allowable variation: 31.635 g ± 0.500 g;\n - diameter 40.60 mm and thickness 4.00 mm (Schedule, Part 1);\n - shape (circular, symbol S1) and edge (milled, symbol E1) (Schedule, Part 2);\n - the obverse design (O1): inscriptions around a Queen’s effigy (Schedule, Part 2);\n - the reverse design (R53): inscriptions identifying it as “THE AUSTRALIAN KOOKABURRA 1OZ. 999 SILVER” and the year “1997”, showing a kookaburra and young in a tree, and a smaller circle in gold cameo depicting a giant panda and bamboo (Schedule, Part 2).\n- Clause 4 says this Determination does not alter any other existing coin-specification determinations.\n\n**Who this affects**\n\n- The Royal Australian Mint (or any authorised minting body) — it must manufacture any coin sold under this determination to these specifications (cl. 3; Schedule).\n- Dealers, collectors and investors in bullion and commemorative coins — the specification fixes the physical attributes (metal, weight, dimensions, and design) that determine numismatic and bullion value.\n- Secondary-market sellers, assay houses and anyone verifying authenticity — they use these specifications to check coins.\n- The Commonwealth (budget/accounting) and purchasers — the minting cost, including the gold cameo detail, affects production expense and therefore pricing.\n\n**Why it matters (practical effects and trade-offs)**\n\n- It creates a standard that ensures uniformity and verifiability: buyers and sellers can rely on specific weight, purity and dimensions when valuing or authenticating the coin (cl. 3; Schedule).\n- The coin is specified as 1 troy ounce of .999 silver (Schedule inscription), so its intrinsic metal value will track silver market prices; the gold cameo increases production complexity and cost.\n- Clause 4 prevents this Determination from unintentionally changing other coin standards; existing circulating coin specifications remain in force separately.\n\n**Implementation costs, incentives and risks (mechanical, not political)**\n\n- Production cost: including a gold cameo within a silver coin is a specialized manufacturing process; that raises per-coin cost and requires tighter quality control (Schedule, R53).\n- Verification and counterfeiting risk: precise tolerances (weight ±0.500 g, diameter and thickness) are enforceable checks but also require accurate scales and measurement for third parties verifying coins.\n- Behavioural incentives: collectors and investors are incentivised to purchase for bullion/collectible value rather than spending it as currency. Dealers and private mints face mild competition from an official, government-backed product (Schedule & cl. 3).\n- Concentration of benefits and costs: most direct benefit accrues to buyers (collectible/bullion owners) and to the Mint (revenue from sales); production costs are borne initially by the Mint/Commonwealth and ultimately by purchasers.\n- Administrative burden is modest and concentrated on the Mint (following production tolerances and design requirements); clause 4 limits administrative side-effects by leaving other determinations intact.\n\n**Key legal mechanics to note**\n\n- Authority: made under s.13A(1) of the Currency Act 1965 (heading). The Determination prescribes only technical specifications; it does not by itself describe issuance policy or circulation rules beyond physical characteristics. The commencement date and the non‑interference with other determinations are explicit (cl. 2 and cl. 4)."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/currency-determination-no-6-of-1997","history":"/api/acts/currency-determination-no-6-of-1997/history","analysis":"/api/acts/currency-determination-no-6-of-1997/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/currency-determination-no-6-of-1997/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/currency-determination-no-6-of-1997/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/currency-determination-no-6-of-1997/documents"}}