Currency Determination No. 2 of 1995

The Determination organises its regulatory content around repeatable, technical design attributes and a small set of coin-specific features. The recurring technical attributes defined for each denomination are: shape, edge, standard weight, permitted weight variation, diameter, thickness, obverse elements, reverse elements, and an encircling row of raised beads inside the rim (see cl 4(2)-(7) and (8); cl 5(2)-(7) and (8); cl 6(2)-(7) and (8); cl 7(2)-(7) and (8); cl 8(2)-(7) and (8)).

Key technical levers in the Determination are the combination of a precise standard weight and a narrowly prescribed allowable variation. For example the $100 gold coins (both listings, cl 7(4)-(5) and cl 8(4)-(5)) carry standard weights of 31.162 grams with an allowed variation of 0.055 grams. Those tolerances set production and quality control tolerances and therefore function as the primary manufacturing compliance metric in the instrument.

Metal composition and purity are stated expressly and are central to the Determination. For three denominations the instrument stipulates minimum purity percentages: 99.9% silver for the $2 coin (cl 4(1)), 99.99% gold for the $25 and $100 coins (cl 5(1); cl 7(1); cl 8(1)), and 99.95% platinum for the $50 coin (cl 6(1)). Two of those provisions include an explicit exception "except for the cameo referred to in paragraph (9)(a)" for the $2 silver coin (cl 4(1)) and for the $50 platinum coin (cl 6(1)), which the Determination then identifies as "a smaller representation, in gold cameo, of 2 doves in flight" for the $2 (cl 4(9)(a)) and as "a smaller representation, in gold cameo, of 2 doves in flight" for the $50 (cl 6(9)(a)). That structure separates the base metal purity requirement from a distinct, embedded precious-metal cameo element.

The obverse specification is uniform in formula across denominations: an effigy of the Queen accompanied by the inscriptions "ELIZABETH II" and "AUSTRALIA" together with the pertinent denomination legend, all encircled by raised beads inside the rim (see cl 4(8); cl 5(8); cl 6(8); cl 7(8); cl 8(8)). The repeat establishes a common obverse identity across the four coin types.

Reverse elements are denomination-specific and combine pictorial motifs and inscriptions. Examples: the $2 coin reverse is a kookaburra with two doves in gold cameo and inscriptions including "THE AUSTRALIAN KOOKABURRA 2 OZ. 999 SILVER", the year "1995" and the phrase "50 YEARS BEYOND WW II" (cl 4(9)). The $25 and $100 reverse descriptions refer to "THE AUSTRALIAN NUGGET" with an embedded inline image marker in the inscription that appears where an ounce denomination would be expected (cl 5(9)(c)(i); cl 7(9)(c)(i); cl 8(9)(c)(i)). The $50 reverse depicts a baby koala and a gold cameo of two doves, with inscription language including "THE AUSTRALIAN KOALA OZ. 9995 PLATINUM" and the phrase "50 YEARS BEYOND WW II" (cl 6(9)).

A final structural concept is the Determination’s non-derogation clause. Clause 3 explicitly records that the Determination does not affect other determinations of the specifications or design of a coin, signalling that this instrument is intended to coexist with prior or parallel determinations rather than replace them outright.

The Determination itself is an instrument by which the Commonwealth prescribes coin specifications under the Currency Act 1965 (title block; s 1). The text identifies the decision-maker in this instance as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, acting for the Treasurer (signature block; opening lines). The entity who makes the Determination is therefore the executive officer named in the instrument.

The Determination’s immediate textual effect is to specify the dimensions, metal content, inscriptions and imagery for the listed denominations (cl 4-8). Any activity that must conform to those specifications is thus affected. The source text addresses design and specification parameters which, in practice, are the inputs for manufacture, assay, quality control and any legal certification of coins. The Determination therefore affects the design and specification of the physical objects to which it refers and, by implication, any process that produces or certifies those objects to match the stated design.

Clause 3 signals that other determinations of coin specifications or design remain in force to the extent not altered by this Determination. The presence of that clause means that stakeholders who rely on or implement multiple determinations must consider this Determination alongside any other relevant instruments. In short, the Determination names the decision-maker and governs the physical attributes of four denominations; those attributes must be taken into account by any entity required by the Currency Act 1965 and associated instruments to produce or conform to Commonwealth coin specifications.

The Determination does not list beneficiary or fee arrangements, nor does it name specific institutions beyond the executive signatory. The text does not identify enforcement agencies, distribution channels, or market participants by name. Any further identification of affected parties would require reference to the Currency Act 1965 and related instruments that define who is authorised to mint, issue, distribute, buy, sell or trade Commonwealth coinage.

The Determination imposes prescriptive specification obligations. For each denomination, the instrument sets out mandatory design and physical parameters that would be the operative standards for producing coins in accordance with this instrument. Those parameter obligations include, across the relevant clauses, the following elements: shape (circular) (see cl 4(2); cl 5(2); cl 6(2); cl 7(2); cl 8(2)); edge treatment (milled) (cl 4(3); cl 5(3); cl 6(3); cl 7(3); cl 8(3)); standard weight and the permitted variation (cl 4(4)-(5); cl 5(4)-(5); cl 6(4)-(5); cl 7(4)-(5); cl 8(4)-(5)); diameter and thickness (cl 4(6)-(7); cl 5(6)-(7); cl 6(6)-(7); cl 7(6)-(7); cl 8(6)-(7)); obverse effigy and inscriptions (cl 4(8); cl 5(8); cl 6(8); cl 7(8); cl 8(8)); reverse pictorial and inscriptional elements (cl 4(9); cl 5(9); cl 6(9); cl 7(9); cl 8(9)); and the encircling raised beads inside the rim (repeated for obverse and reverse provisions).

The Determination also sets metal composition minima as mandatory content requirements: minimum purities of 99.9% silver for the $2 coin (except for a gold cameo) (cl 4(1)), 99.99% gold for the $25 and $100 coins (cl 5(1); cl 7(1); cl 8(1)), and 99.95% platinum for the $50 coin (cl 6(1)). Where an exception to standard composition is stated, the Determination identifies an alternate material element that is part of the reverse design, such as the gold cameo specified for the $2 and $50 coins (cl 4(1) and cl 4(9)(a); cl 6(1) and cl 6(9)(a)). Those composition specifications operate as technical requirements.

The Determination does not, within its own text, create new contractual rights or commercial licences, nor does it include express proprietary assignments of design rights. It prescribes the design and composition; it does not state who owns the copyright or other intellectual property in the designs, nor does it grant or extinguish such rights. The instrument also does not allocate financial entitlements, reimbursement duties, or royalties.

Duties of compliance are conveyed by the prescriptive nature of the specification clauses. The Determination requires adherence to the listed attributes where a coin is made to the denomination descriptions set out in clauses 4 to 8. Clause 3 concurrently indicates that the Determination coexists with other determinations of specification or design, which imposes a duty on implementers to reconcile this Determination with any other applicable determination.

Finally, this instrument is silent on administrative obligations such as record-keeping, assay certification, or reporting. Those operational duties, if required, would need to be found in the Currency Act 1965 or other instruments; the Determination itself does not articulate them.

The Determination contains no provisions that specify penalties, sanctions, or enforcement mechanisms. The text is limited to specification and design parameters for the listed coins and contains no clauses imposing fines, criminal penalties or administrative sanctions. There are also no express provisions in the Determination about inspection, seizure, certification, or recall of coins that do not comply.

Because the instrument is made under the Currency Act 1965 (heading and opening line), any enforcement framework, violation consequences or compliance remedies would need to be sourced to the Currency Act 1965 and any ancillary regulations, orders or statutory mechanisms established under that Act. The Determination itself does not set out which statutory or administrative body is empowered to monitor or enforce compliance with these specifications. It likewise does not specify procedures for dispute resolution, certification of conformity, destruction or reworking of non-conforming coins, or reporting non-compliance.

Practically, the absence of enforcement text in the Determination means that the Determination functions as a technical standard rather than an enforcement code in isolation. Users of the Determination must therefore consult the Currency Act 1965 and any other relevant statutory instruments to find the applicable enforcement and penalty regime, and to identify the authorities authorised to enforce coin standards. Any legal consequences for failing to meet the Determination’s specifications will depend on the enforcement architecture contained in those enabling or complementary instruments, not on this Determination itself.

The Determination does contain a non-derogation clause (cl 3) stating it "does not affect any other determination of the specifications or design of a coin". That clause preserves the continuing operation of other determinations and therefore may influence enforcement interactions where multiple determinations apply. For example, enforcement or compliance obligations tied to other determinations are not displaced by this instrument according to its own text.

The document is explicitly made under the Currency Act 1965 (title block and opening phrase) and therefore is a subordinate instrument implementing or giving effect to powers under that Act. The Determination does not itself reproduce or restate provisions of the Currency Act; it relies on the enabling statute for legal force. The text of the Determination therefore must be read alongside the Currency Act 1965 to understand its legal status, the reach of compliance obligations, and the identities of the bodies authorised to make or implement the Determination.

Clause 3 sets an express boundary between this instrument and other determinations covering coin specifications or design: "This Determination does not affect any other determination of the specifications or design of a coin." That provision indicates that the instrument is to be read as supplementary to or co-existent with other determinations rather than as exhaustive or overriding. Where overlapping determinations exist, reconciliation will be necessary by reference to the enabling statute and to the chronological or hierarchical rules that govern subordinate instruments.

The Determination is silent about intellectual property, customs, taxation, export controls, or consumer protection laws. It does not state whether the coins are legal tender for specific purposes, nor does it address how the described coins interact with currency circulation, monetary policy or anti-counterfeiting statutes. Those matters would be regulated by other provisions of the Currency Act 1965 or by separate legislative regimes. The Determination’s silence on those topics means that interaction with other law will be determined by reading the enabling and related statutes.

Where the Determination includes elements that could be relevant to other regulatory regimes, such as precise metal purities and weights (which may engage customs classification, bullion trade rules, or assay requirements), those cross-jurisdictional effects are not spelled out here. The only textual interaction with other instruments recorded in the Determination is the non-effect clause in cl 3; any other interactions must be established by reference to the Currency Act 1965 and any applicable secondary instruments, regulations or administrative practices.

The Determination itself records its date and commencement only. It is dated 7 April 1995 in the signatory block and commences on 19 April 1995 (s 2 and the signature block). The instrument does not contain internal amendment notes, marginalia, repeal text or schedules that amend prior instruments. Clause 3’s language that the Determination "does not affect any other determination of the specifications or design of a coin" operates as a non-derogation provision but is not expressed as an amendment to any prior instrument.

No amendments, revocations, supersessions, or later commencement modifications are recorded within the text provided. The Determination therefore appears as a stand-alone instrument enacted on the date shown, with its specified commencement date. If the user requires any later amendments or subsequent revocations, those would not be found in this text and would require consulting updated legislative records, the Currency Act 1965 instrument registers, or a consolidated statute database, none of which are reproduced in the present source.

Because the Determination does not itself include an amending schedule or transitional provisions, any change to the specifications in the future would need to be effected by a separate determination or by amendment under the Currency Act 1965. The instrument’s own text does not set out processes or thresholds for amendment. It therefore provides an unamended snapshot as at April 1995.

The Determination contains no reference to litigation, proceedings, judicial review, or past disputes. It does not recount any court challenges to its content, nor does it contain declaratory material about contested design elements. The instrument is a technical determination and the text includes no annotations or historical footnotes referencing legal proceedings.

That absence of litigation history in the text means that any case law interpreting or challenging these specific clauses is not recorded here. Where legal interpretation or enforcement challenges exist, they would be found in case reports, judicial databases, or administrative review records outside the Determination. The Determination’s own text is silent on the issue.

From a risk and implementation perspective the text does contain internal features that could give rise to interpretive disputes if contested, including embedded image placeholders where an inscription would normally include a textual value, overlapping or duplicate clauses for the same denomination, and minor divergences in descriptive language between otherwise similar clauses. Those textual elements are detailed below and could be the factual basis for litigation or administrative review if a party were to challenge conformity, import/export descriptions, assay certification or intellectual property ownership.

Any inquiry into actual litigation would require consultation of courts or tribunal databases and records post-dating the Determination’s commencement. The present instrument does not identify a litigation history and thus records none.

The Determination’s text contains a number of specifics and a small set of drafting features that practitioners and implementers should note as points of operational ambiguity or tight technical constraint.

1. Dual $100 clauses. Clauses 7 and 8 are each headed "Specifications and design of a $100 gold coin" and otherwise mirror the same technical metrics for weight, diameter, thickness, obverse inscriptions and general layout (cl 7(1)-(9); cl 8(1)-(9)). The two clauses differ in the reverse small representation item: cl 7(9)(b) requires "a smaller representation of 2 doves in flight", whereas cl 8(9)(b) requires "a smaller representation of 2 carnations". The rest of the reverse inscriptions are similar. The presence of two separate, substantively similar clauses for the same denomination, differing in a pictorial detail, raises a drafting inconsistency in the instrument as provided.

2. Embedded image placeholders in inscriptions. Several inscriptional passages contain embedded inline image placeholders in the source. Examples include cl 5(9)(c)(i) where the inscription reads "THE AUSTRALIAN NUGGET OZ. 9999 GOLD", cl 6(9)(b)(i) where the inscription contains "THE AUSTRALIAN KOALA OZ. 9995 PLATINUM", and cl 7(9)(c)(i) and cl 8(9)(c)(i) where "THE AUSTRALIAN NUGGET 1 OZ. 9999 GOLD" appears with a small image marker in the source. The presence of image placeholders where a numeric ounce designation or graphic might be intended may create interpretive uncertainty if the embedded graphic cannot be reliably reproduced or translated into textual instructions for manufacture or legal description.

3. Cameo composition exceptions. Clauses 4(1) and 6(1) qualify the base-metal purity by excepting the cameo referred to in paragraph (9)(a). The associated reverse paragraphs explicitly call for a smaller representation "in gold cameo" (cl 4(9)(a); cl 6(9)(a)). That means the $2 silver coin and the $50 platinum coin are to include a gold element within a base metal coin. That cross-metal inclusion is explicitly permitted by the text but creates a manufacturing requirement to embed a distinct gold cameo within an otherwise non-gold coin, a non-standard production feature with implications for assaying, weight accounting and metallurgical joining.

4. Narrow weight tolerances. The Determination sets precise standard weights and permits only small variations. Examples: $2 silver standard weight 62.770 grams with allowed variation 0.500 grams (cl 4(4)-(5)); $50 platinum standard weight 15.605 grams with allowed variation 0.045 grams (cl 6(4)-(5)); $100 gold standard weight 31.162 grams with allowed variation 0.055 grams (cl 7(4)-(5); cl 8(4)-(5)). Those narrow tolerances will require precise quality control and accurate weighing and may influence production yield and rejection rates.

5. Repeating obverse language. The obverse for every coin is prescribed to carry an effigy of the Queen and the inscriptions "ELIZABETH II" and "AUSTRALIA" plus the denomination legend, each encircled by raised beads inside the rim (see cl 4(8); cl 5(8); cl 6(8); cl 7(8); cl 8(8)). That uniformity reduces ambiguity on obverse requirements but demands a consistent authorised effigy and clear direction about which effigy version is to be used; the Determination does not specify a portrait variant beyond "an effigy of the Queen".

6. Variation in small reverse inscriptions and commemorative text. Some reverses include additional wording such as "50 YEARS BEYOND WW II" for the $2 and $50 coins (cl 4(9)(b)(iii); cl 6(9)(b)(iii)) and the year "1995" is repeatedly required (cl 4(9)(b)(ii); cl 5(9)(c)(ii); cl 6(9)(b)(ii); cl 7(9)(c)(ii); cl 8(9)(c)(ii)). Those commemorative inscriptions are part of the design obligation.

7. Reference to raised beads "inside the rim". The Determination requires that both obverse and reverse elements be "all encircled by raised beads inside the rim of the coin" (repeated for obverse and reverse in each clause). That is a precise ornamental feature with manufacturing implications for dies and striking.

8. Absence of procedural and enforcement detail. The Determination contains no procedural instructions relating to assay, certification, release schedules, numbering, packaging, or distribution. Users must therefore rely on other instruments or administrative practices to operationalise release and distribution.

These features combine technical precision with some drafting vagueness in a small number of places. The image placeholders and the duplicated $100 clauses are the most concrete sources of ambiguity inside the Determination text itself.

Compliance requires producing coins that conform to the precise physical, metal and inscriptional parameters set out in clauses 4 to 8. The Determination is phrased as prescriptive specifications; therefore to comply precisely, an implementer should match each listed attribute for the relevant denomination as follows.

1. Match standard weight and allowable variation. For each denomination, set production targets so the average struck coin meets the standard weight and ensure processes reject or rework coins outside the allowed variation. Examples: for the $2 coin, standard weight 62.770 grams with permitted variation ±0.500 grams (cl 4(4)-(5)). For the $50 coin, standard weight 15.605 grams with allowed variation ±0.045 grams (cl 6(4)-(5)). For either $100 listing, 31.162 grams with allowed variation ±0.055 grams (cl 7(4)-(5); cl 8(4)-(5)). Implement weighing, sampling and record-keeping procedures to document conformity to these figures.

2. Conform to dimensional specifications. Maintain dies and strike processes to produce the diameter and thickness figures exactly as specified: e.g. $25 coin diameter 20.10 millimetres, thickness 2.00 millimetres (cl 5(6)-(7)). Control tooling tolerances and measure outputs routinely.

3. Ensure metal purity and composition. For each coin ensure the composition meets the stated minima: $2 coin at least 99.9% silver except for the gold cameo (cl 4(1)); $25 and $100 coins at least 99.99% gold (cl 5(1); cl 7(1); cl 8(1)); $50 coin at least 99.95% platinum except for the gold cameo (cl 6(1)). For coins with an exception for a gold cameo, allocate the cameo mass separately in design and assay processes to ensure the base-metal portions individually meet their described purities and that the total coin weight reconciles to the standard weight plus or minus the allowable variation.

4. Implement the cameo element where required. For the $2 (cl 4(9)(a)) and the $50 (cl 6(9)(a)), the reverse must include a "smaller representation, in gold cameo, of 2 doves in flight". Incorporate that gold cameo into the reverse die plan and specify joining or inlaying techniques that preserve the cameo and ensure overall metal content and weight tolerance compliance.

5. Follow obverse and reverse inscription text literally. The obverse must bear an effigy of the Queen and the inscriptions "ELIZABETH II", "AUSTRALIA", and the denomination legend, all encircled by raised beads inside the rim (cl 4(8); cl 5(8); cl 6(8); cl 7(8); cl 8(8)). Reverses must match the precise wording required for the denomination: for example the $2 reverse inscription must include "THE AUSTRALIAN KOOKABURRA 2 OZ. 999 SILVER", "1995", and "50 YEARS BEYOND WW II" (cl 4(9)(b)(i)-(iii)). Be alert to embedded image placeholders and resolve them by reference to the master art or original graphic that accompanied the Determination, because the textual source includes inline image markers where an ounce graphic or symbol appears (see cl 5(9)(c)(i); cl 6(9)(b)(i); cl 7(9)(c)(i); cl 8(9)(c)(i)).

6. Incorporate raised beads inside the rim on both faces. The Determination repeatedly specifies that obverse and reverse elements are "all encircled by raised beads inside the rim of the coin" (cl 4(8); cl 4(9); cl 5(8); cl 5(9); cl 6(8); cl 6(9); cl 7(8); cl 7(9); cl 8(8); cl 8(9)). Plan die engraving to include this bead row and validate visually and dimensionally.

7. Reconcile duplicated or variant clauses. The instrument contains two separate $100 coin clauses (cl 7 and cl 8). Clause 7(9)(b) specifies "a smaller representation of 2 doves in flight" while clause 8(9)(b) specifies "a smaller representation of 2 carnations". Before production, obtain authoritative direction from the issuing authority or the original master art to determine which reverse is mandated. Do not rely solely on the text as provided if both clauses are presented as operative for a single $100 denomination.

8. Preserve documentary evidence of conformity. Although the Determination does not set out procedural requirements, maintain records that demonstrate compliance with the listed standards: measurement logs, assay certificates, die proofs, production run quality reports and photographic evidence of obverse/reverse inscriptions and bead placement. These documents will be necessary to demonstrate conformity if question or audit arises.

9. Coordinate with any other applicable determinations. Clause 3 provides that this Determination does not affect other determinations of coin specifications or design. Prior to final production, cross-check any other determinations that could impose additional or differing obligations for the same denomination or related issues.

10. Seek clarification where text contains embedded graphics or drafting anomalies. The textual source of several inscriptions contains inline image references. For compliance certainty, obtain the definitive art files, original graphic elements and any formal corrigenda or errata issued by the decision-maker. If authoritative clarifying material is unavailable, seek formal instruction from the executive office identified in the determination.

Following the Determination requires technical manufacturing discipline and documentary rigor. The instrument places the design and composition constraints in clear terms, but where the text contains non-textual elements or duplicated clauses a production authority should obtain the authoritative art and an explicit instruction addressing which clause controls before commencing fabrication.