Currency (Royal Australian Mint) Determination (No. 1) 2017

The instrument operates through a small number of concepts that convert technical minting details into legal detail. The principal concepts and how they are used in the instrument are these.

• Determination under the Currency Act. The instrument is a subordinate legislative instrument made under paragraph 13(2)(b) and subsection 13A(1) of the Currency Act 1965 (s 3). Those provisions are the legal authority permitting the Minister to specify denominations, standard compositions and standard weights, designs and dimensions. The text does not include the parent Act’s full provisions, but it identifies the precise head of power relied upon.

• Incorporation into the Schedule to the Act. Section 5 is made for the purposes of paragraph 13(2)(b) of the Act and directs that, on commencement, the Act is to have effect as if the Schedule to the Act included the references to each denomination set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1 to this instrument, and as if the Schedule specified, opposite each such denomination, the standard composition set out for that denomination in Part 1 of Schedule 1 (s 5(1)-(2)(a)-(b)). The legal mechanism is therefore not the creation of freestanding statutory rights or obligations but the insertion of technical specifications into the Act’s Schedule by statutory fiction.

• Standard weight, allowable variation, design and dimensions. Section 6 is made for the purposes of subsection 13A(1) of the Act and provides that from commencement each table item in Part 1 of Schedule 1 “specifies the standard weight, the allowable variation from that standard weight, the design and the dimensions of the coin” (s 6(2)). The instrument therefore defines both physical tolerances (weight variation, maximum thickness and maximum diameter/other dimension) and visual elements (shape, edge, obverse and reverse).

• Symbolic shorthand and explanation. Part 1 of Schedule 1 uses symbols for shape (S1, S2), edge (E1-E3), obverse (O1) and reverse (R1-R8). Part 2 contains the textual explanations of each symbol (s 6(4); Schedule 1 Part 2). This two-part approach separates tabular technical specification from the verbal descriptions of complex pictorial designs.

• Measurement rule for non-circular coins. Section 6(3) provides a specific interpretive rule for coins that are triangular with rounded corners: a “maximum diameter or other dimension” reference is to be read as a reference to the perpendicular bisector of the coin. That technical rule alters how a mint or testing laboratory must measure a non-circular coin for compliance.

• Obverse and reverse design elements as legal specifications. Obverse O1 is precisely specified: it consists of an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II together with the inscriptions “ELIZABETH II”, “AUSTRALIA”, a year in Arabic numerals and “IRB” (Schedule 1 Part 2, item 6). Reverse designs R1-R8 are similarly specified in descriptive terms that include not only motifs and inscriptions but also representations of existing logos and characters (for example, Bananas in Pyjamas, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games logo and the FIFA World Cup trophy and related text). Those descriptions are incorporated into the legal specification of the coin’s design via the Schedule.

• Standard compositions. The table sets out standard compositions in simple form such as “At least 99.9% silver”, “Copper and nickel”, “Copper, aluminium and nickel”, and “At least 99.99% gold” (Schedule 1 Part 1). Those phrases function as the legally specified metal content standard for the denomination.

Taken together, the instrument translates a bundle of technical and artistic instructions into statutory terms. It fixes precise tolerances and prescribes precise pictorial elements, treating them as the legal baseline for the denominations and compositions it specifies.

The instrument identifies and changes legal specifications that affect several categories of public and private actors. The text itself makes no explicit regulatory schedule of affected stakeholders, so the following description states who is unambiguously implicated by the instrument’s subject-matter and the legal mechanism it uses.

• The Minister and the authorising apparatus. The determination is made by the Minister for Small Business (the instrument’s heading identifies Michael McCormack as the Minister and is dated 8 February 2017). The Minister is the decision-maker who exercised delegated legislative power under the Currency Act 1965 (see s 3 and the instrument header). The instrument therefore records who decides the specification content.

• The Royal Australian Mint as the practical implementer. The instrument’s title and content make clear that these are minting specifications to be applied to coins the Crown or its agent produces. While the instrument does not contain an operational instruction setting out the Mint’s procedural tasks, the Royal Australian Mint is the body identified by the instrument’s title and the subject-matter as the practical actor that will produce physical coins to the statutory specifications.

• Holders and users of coins. By specifying denominations and designs as part of the Schedule to the Currency Act (s 5(2)), the instrument affects anyone who receives or uses those coins in commerce, because the physical coins produced in accordance with the specifications will be present in circulation (or in the market for bullion or collector items). That includes consumers and businesses that accept coin as a means of payment.

• Cash-handling and coin-operated equipment operators. The instrument prescribes dimensions, shapes, thicknesses and edges (see Schedule 1 Part 1). Any entity that operates coin-sorting, vending or coin-accepting machines will be affected in operational terms if new coins differ materially from existing ones in weight, dimension, shape or edge characteristics.

• Coin dealers, bullion traders and numismatists. Several items in the Schedule describe coins in precious metals and with inscriptions indicating mass and fineness (for example, R4, R5, R7 and R8 use inscriptions such as “1 oz .999 Ag” and “1/4 oz .9999 Au”). Those specifications speak directly to bullion markets and collectors, and will affect dealers, assayers and consumers engaged in buying, selling and valuing coins whose metal content is central to their price.

• Intellectual property rights holders and licensors. Part 2 reverse descriptions include representations of branded characters and logos (for example the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s “Bananas in Pyjamas” and the FIFA World Cup Trophy and associated text “2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA TM”) and other logos and mascots associated with the Commonwealth Games (R4, R6). The instrument itself prescribes these designs but does not include licence terms or rights arrangements; the presence of third-party marks in a statutory design implies that the Crown or the Mint has obtained or will obtain permission to reproduce those marks, but the instrument is silent on the contractual or licensing arrangements.

• Public sector agencies that interact with currency standards. The instrument operates by amending what the Schedule to the Currency Act is to be treated as containing (s 5(2)). Agencies responsible for currency policy, legal tender questions, and currency distribution will therefore be affected insofar as these instruments alter the content of the legal Schedule.

• Manufacturers and suppliers of coin production equipment and die-makers. The instrument specifies edge types (plain, continuously milled, interrupted milling), shape (triangular with rounded corners, circular), and detailed obverse and reverse designs (Schedule 1 Part 2). Those specifics determine tooling, die-making and production processes.

The instrument does not itself create a licensing or compliance regime targeted at private entities, and it does not set out enforcement measures or penalties within its text. It is therefore a specification instrument that situates the Minister and the minting function as the decision and production points and leaves operational and legal consequences (including any enforcement) to be read against the Currency Act and other law outside the instrument.

The determination converts technical minting specifications into statutory form. The instrument itself defines duties and confers legal effect indirectly by altering how the Currency Act operates, rather than by imposing a new set of freestanding statutory obligations with penalty provisions. The main duties and rights that arise from the instrument’s text are as follows.

Duties implied or created by the instrument

• Duty to treat the Schedule content as part of the Currency Act. Section 5(2) requires that, on and after commencement, the Act “has effect as if” the Schedule to the Act included the denominations specified in Part 1 of Schedule 1 and had opposite each such denomination the standard composition specified in that Part (s 5(2)(a)-(b)). That is a duty on legal interpretation: courts, administrators and officials are to interpret the Currency Act as including those particulars.

• Duty to specify and adhere to standard weights, allowable variations, dimensions and designs. Section 6(2) makes each item in Part 1 of Schedule 1 the specification of the standard weight, allowable variation, design and dimensions of the coin. That imposes an implicit duty on the minting authority producing the coin to produce coins that conform to those specifications; the instrument itself does not set out how compliance is to be monitored, but the specifications are the legal baseline against which conformity would be judged.

• Duty to apply the measurement rule for triangular coins. Section 6(3) prescribes the interpretive measure to be used where the instrument gives a maximum diameter or other dimension for a triangular coin with rounded corners: measurement is to use the perpendicular bisector. This is a technical duty on designers, quality controllers and measuring laboratories.

• Duty to use the textual symbol explanations. Section 6(4) ties the symbol codes in Part 1 to their explanations in Part 2. Producers must therefore apply the descriptive text corresponding to each symbol (for example O1, R1-R8) when producing obverse and reverse designs.

Rights or legal effects created or clarified by the instrument

• Legal recognition of denominations and compositions in the Act. By providing that the Act is to be read as if the specified denominations and standard compositions were included in the Schedule to the Act (s 5(2)), the instrument confers legal recognition on those denominations and their specified compositions. That is the principal legal right conferred: the technical specifications are treated as part of the statutory framework.

• Rights to particular inscriptions and designs in the sense of legal entitlement to produce coins matching the designs. The instrument defines the obverse and reverse designs as legal specifications. Once the Act is read as including those specifications, the mint (or the Crown as issuer) is entitled to produce coins that bear those representations because they are the legally specified design.

Limits and omissions in duties and rights

• No express operational duties such as distribution, sale or licensing. The instrument does not set out obligations on third parties regarding acceptance of the coins, sale or distribution mechanisms, pricing, tax treatment, or contracts for purchase. It is a specification instrument and not an operational directive.

• No penalty provisions in the instrument. The text contains no offence, penalty or enforcement procedure. Duties set out are in the nature of technical specifications to be applied under the Currency Act; any sanction for producing coins that do not conform or for misrepresentation of coin metal content would need to be identified in the Currency Act or other law, which are not reproduced in the instrument.

• No explicit licensing terms or intellectual property arrangements. Although the instrument specifies the use of third-party logos and branded characters in several reverse designs (for example R2 and R3 referencing Bananas in Pyjamas and R7 including “2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA TM”), the instrument does not set out licensing fees, assignments or contractual arrangements for reproduction. It therefore specifies what is to appear on the coin without stating the legal basis for permissions to reproduce those materials.

Concrete specification examples

• The table in Schedule 1 Part 1 contains specific items that create precise technical baselines. For example, Item 1 specifies a $5 coin composed of “At least 99.9% silver” with standard weight 22.23 grams plus an allowable variation of 0.80 grams, maximum diameter 34.20 millimetres, maximum thickness 3.80 millimetres, shape S1 (triangular with rounded corners), edge E1 (plain), obverse O1 and reverse R1 (Schedule 1 Part 1, Item 1 and Schedule 1 Part 2 items 1, 3, 6 and 7).

In short, duties imposed by the instrument are technical and interpretive: the Act is to be read as including specified denominations and compositions and the Schedule items are the standard baseline for weight and design. The instrument creates legal effect by that incorporation but does not itself detail enforcement, regulatory processes or licensing arrangements.

The instrument is a specification instrument and does not contain express penalty clauses or enforcement mechanisms. The following points set out what the instrument says and what it does not say, drawing lines between specification, enforcement and legal consequence.

• No penalty clauses in this instrument. Nowhere in the determination text (s 1-6 or Schedule 1 Parts 1-2) are offences, fines, imprisonment, infringement penalties, enforcement procedures or administrative sanctions specified. The instrument’s scope is limited to denomination, composition, weight, dimension and design specification.

• Enforcement and penalties are to be found in other law, not in this instrument. The instrument is expressly made under paragraph 13(2)(b) and subsection 13A(1) of the Currency Act 1965 (s 3). It amends the way the Currency Act is to be read (s 5(2)). Any criminal or civil sanctions for failing to conform to coin specifications, or for fraud involving coin content or representation, would have to be located in the Currency Act or other legislation. This instrument does not reproduce or restate those provisions and is silent about enforcement mechanisms.

• The instrument preserves other determinations. Sections 5(3) and 6(5) state that these sections do not affect any other provision of a determination made for the purposes of the respective heads of power in the Currency Act. That language suggests a legislative intent not to displace or alter enforcement arrangements contained in other determinations or in the Currency Act. It therefore leaves in place whatever enforcement architecture the Act provides, rather than creating new enforcement rules.

• Practical enforcement questions will require reference to the Currency Act. Because this determination modifies the Schedule to the Currency Act by specifying denominations, compositions and technical specifications, any downstream enforcement (for example prosecution for producing counterfeit coins, misrepresenting metal content, or failing to meet required dimensions) will involve interpreting the Act as amended in accordance with s 5(2) and the relevant enforcement provisions of the Currency Act. Those enforcement provisions are not reproduced in this instrument.

• Regulatory administration will involve agencies competent under the Act. The instrument identifies the Minister as decision-maker and prescribes manufacturing specifications; oversight or enforcement in a practical sense will rest with agencies and officials charged by the Currency Act or other legislation with currency oversight. Those operational arrangements are outside the instrument.

In sum, the instrument sets legally binding technical particulars by incorporation into the Act’s statutory Schedule, but it does not itself state penalties or enforcement procedures. Determining consequences for non-compliance requires consulting the Currency Act and any other regulations or determinations that provide enforcement powers and sanctions.

The determination is framed and operates as subordinate legislation under the Currency Act 1965. The instrument’s text makes explicit its relationship to the Act and describes a limited interaction with other determinations. The following points summarise how the instrument interacts with other law on the face of the instrument.

• Subordinate to the Currency Act. Section 3 states the instrument is made under paragraph 13(2)(b) and subsection 13A(1) of the Currency Act 1965. The instrument therefore is subordinate to and operates within the legislative framework established by that Act. It does not displace primary legislation; it amends what the Schedule to the Act is to be read as containing by statutory fiction (s 5(2)).

• Incorporation by statutory fiction into the Schedule to the Act. Section 5(2) provides that on and after commencement the Act “has effect as if” the Schedule included the denominations and specified compositions set out in Part 1 of Schedule 1 to this instrument (s 5(2)(a)-(b)). That technique makes the instrument functionally part of the Act for purposes that rely on the Act’s Schedule. Where other statutory provisions refer to the Schedule’s contents, they will, after commencement, operate with the instrument’s entries treated as part of the Schedule.

• Preservation of other determinations. Sections 5(3) and 6(5) each state that the respective sections do not affect any other provision of a determination made for the relevant purpose under the Act. That language indicates the instrument was intended to coexist with earlier or contemporaneous determinations that also operate under paragraph 13(2)(b) or subsection 13A(1) rather than to override them. It therefore must be read alongside such determinations.

• Interfaces with intellectual property and contractual law. The reverse design descriptions include branded or trademarked references and character depictions (for example the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s “Bananas in Pyjamas” and wording such as “2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA TM” in R7). The instrument does not itself address licensing or contractual arrangements for reproducing third-party marks. Consequently, use of those marks by the issuer will require appropriate rights to reproduce them, secured under separate contracts governed by contract law and intellectual property law. The instrument’s absence of any licence text means IP rights are not varied or created by the instrument; they must be acquired separately.

• Interaction with commodity and consumer regulation. The Schedule contains precious metal specifications and inscriptions (for example R4 and R8 include “1 oz .999 Ag”; R5 and R7 include “1/4 oz .9999 Au”). Where coins are used as bullion or labelled with mass and fineness, commodity trading and consumer protection laws (not set out in this instrument) may interact with these specifications in the operation of markets for bullion and collector coins. The instrument itself does not regulate trading, pricing, or consumer transactions.

• Operational interactions with standards and measurement law. Section 6(3) prescribes a technical measurement rule for triangular coins (use the perpendicular bisector for maximum diameter or other dimension). In application, compliance testing will interact with measurement standards and laboratory procedures; those standards and laboratory regimes are in other legal and technical materials and are not set out in the instrument.

• No express cross-reference to legal tender status. The instrument specifies denominations and designs but does not use the phrase “legal tender” nor does it state whether the coins are to be treated as legal tender for payment of debts. Any legal-tender status or effect must be determined under the Currency Act or other law; the instrument simply provides the technical specifications to be treated as part of the Schedule.

Overall, the instrument operates by modifying the content of an Act’s Schedule and therefore interacts with other laws to the extent other laws reference, rely on, or cross-check the Schedule’s contents. It does not itself create licences, criminal offences or cross-sector regulatory regimes; those are left to the Currency Act and other legislative instruments and common-law or statutory regimes not reproduced in the text.

The determination records its own making, date and maker, and does not itself contain any prior amendment entries. The following points state what the instrument records and what it does not.

• Date and maker. The instrument is titled Currency (Royal Australian Mint) Determination (No. 1) 2017 and is dated 8 February 2017. The header identifies Michael McCormack as the Minister for Small Business who made the determination. That is the instrument’s only dating and attestation information.

• Commencement. Section 2 provides that the instrument “commences on the day after it is registered.” That is the standard commencement mechanism used in many subordinate instruments; the instrument does not provide an alternative staggered commencement for different parts. The text therefore implies a single commencement date which is the day after registration on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments.

• No recorded amendments in the instrument. The text does not record any amendment history, repeal, or variation. It does not list prior determinations it supersedes or replaces. Sections 5(3) and 6(5) explicitly preserve other determinations insofar as they are other provisions made for the purposes of the Act sections referenced. The instrument therefore appears to be a standalone 2017 determination with no internal amendment notes in the supplied text.

• No sunset, expiry or transitional provisions included. The instrument does not specify any expiry date, review provision or requirement for further ministerial action to continue effect. It likewise includes no transitional rules about how existing coins should be treated. If transitional arrangements exist, they are not stated in this instrument.

• Notes and references. The Schedule includes a note: “See sections 5 and 6.” That directs readers to the relevant substantive sections within the instrument. There is no appended amendment list.

• Source document practice. The instrument is presented in the conventional form for statutory determinations: identification, contents, sections, and an attached schedule of detailed specifications. That presentation suggests any future amendment would be recorded by a further determination or by amendment to the Schedule via another instrument made under the same provisions of the Currency Act. There is no explicit cross-reference to an instrument registry entry number in the supplied text other than the device “No. 1 2017” in the title.

In short, as supplied, the determination is a single 2017 instrument dated 8 February 2017, with commencement defined as the day after registration, and it does not contain an amendment history, expiry or transitional text in the materials provided.

The determination itself contains no references to litigation, court decisions, or case law. The Schedule and the substantive text do not name judicial decisions or include references that would indicate the instrument has been the subject of litigation. The following points record what the instrument does and does not say in relation to litigation.

• No cases cited. The instrument text does not cite any judicial authority or administrative decisions as justification for the specifications nor as precedents. It is a technical specification instrument and not a legal opinion or a decision reported with reasons that would typically attract litigation citations.

• No stated disputes, appeals or review mechanisms within the instrument. The instrument does not set out an internal review mechanism for contesting a specification or an administrative decision. Any review or challenge to the instrument’s validity would therefore be under general administrative law and the enabling statute, not under provisions contained in the instrument itself.

• Litigation, if any, would be under the Currency Act or general administrative-review processes. Because the instrument is made under the Currency Act, any legal contest to its validity (for example, on jurisdictional or procedural grounds) would be brought under the judicial review jurisdiction that applies to subordinate legislation made under an Act of Parliament. Those procedural and review mechanisms are not contained in the instrument and are not reproduced here.

• No recorded judicial interpretation of the Schedule in this instrument. The Schedule contains detailed descriptive art directives (R1-R8) and measurement rules (s 6(3)). None of these is annotated with judicial interpretation or footnotes indicating that courts have previously construed them.

Therefore, within the text provided, there is no litigation history to report. If legal proceedings or judicial consideration have occurred since the instrument was made, they are not referred to in this determination and would need to be located in judicial records or case law databases outside the supplied document.

The instrument is compact and technical, but several points in its text create operational and legal hazards that deserve attention. These are concrete subtlety and implementation traps that arise from the instrument’s structure and content.

• Multiple entries for the same denomination with different specifications. The Schedule lists multiple items with the same face denomination but different compositions, weights, sizes and designs. For example:

  • Item 1 and Item 4 are both $5 coins but with different standard weights and different shapes: Item 1 is “At least 99.9% silver” with standard weight 22.23 +0.80 g and shape S1 (triangular with rounded corners); Item 4 is “At least 99.9% silver” with standard weight 31.103 +1.80 g and shape S2 (circular) (Schedule 1 Part 1, Items 1 and 4). Similarly, there are two $25 items (Items 5 and 7) both “At least 99.99% gold” with identical numeric specifications but different reverse design symbols (R5 and R7). Item 6 and Item 8 are $1 coins with different standard compositions and weights (Item 6: copper, aluminium and nickel; Item 8: at least 99.9% silver with a heavier weight).

  • Operationally, such duplications mean that denomination alone will not uniquely identify the coin type for purposes of weight, metal content or legal interpretation; one must refer to the specific specification item (and its composition and design) to identify the coin. This matters for assayers, bullion traders, cash handlers and machine operators.

• Triangular coin measurement rule. Section 6(3) provides that for coins triangular with rounded corners, “maximum diameter or other dimension” is to be read as the perpendicular bisector. This is a technical measurement prescription. Machines, test rigs and legal descriptions that rely on “diameter” must implement this perpendicular bisector rule for triangular coins; failure to do so will produce inconsistent compliance measurements.

• Weight tolerances vary and include asymmetrical notation. Some items show tolerances written as “+ 0.80”, others as “± 0.78” or “+ 1.80”. For example, Item 1 lists standard weight “22.23 + 0.80” which reads as an upper-only tolerance; Item 2 lists “11.30 ± 0.78” which is symmetric. An operator or tester must understand whether the notation indicates an asymmetric tolerance (upper-only) versus symmetric tolerance (plus/minus). The instrument does not provide an interpretive legend for “+” versus “±”, so practitioners must apply ordinary interpretive practice or seek clarification if ambiguity remains.

• Obverse includes “IRB”. The obverse specification O1 requires an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II with the inscriptions “ELIZABETH II”, “AUSTRALIA”, a year in Arabic numerals and “IRB”. The inclusion of the letters “IRB” is specific and will affect die design and artistic credit. The instrument does not explain the provenance of “IRB” (for example whether it denotes initials of a sculptor or an engraving code); implementers must ensure those characters appear exactly as specified.

• Reverse designs reference third-party logos and trademark notices. R2 and R3 use Bananas in Pyjamas logos and characters; R7 includes “2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA TM” and other trademark indications; R4, R5, R6 and R8 include Commonwealth Games references, the Gold Coast 2018 marks, and mascot imagery. The instrument prescribes these depictions but is silent on permissions and licences. Practically, the Mint or issuer will need contractual and IP rights to reproduce those marks. The instrument does not provide those rights or specify the party that negotiated them.

• Precious metal inscriptions and bullion implications. Several reverse descriptions specify inscriptions such as “1 oz .999 Ag”, “1/4 oz .9999 Au”, “1 DOLLAR”, “TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS” and the like (see R4-R8). Such inscriptions bear on market value and consumer expectations. The instrument prescribes the inscriptions but does not set out quality-assurance regimes, assay or hallmarking procedures. Parties trading in these coins will need to ensure the actual metal content matches the inscriptions, but the determination itself is silent on testing and certification mechanisms.

• Edge types and machine acceptance. The Schedule includes plain edges (E1), continuously milled edges (E2) and interrupted milling (E3). Coin-accepting machines and sorting equipment often use edge and milling characteristics for identification and counterfeit detection. Introducing interrupted milling or other heterodox millings may require recalibration.

• No legal-tender text. The instrument does not state whether the coins so specified are legal tender for debts. That may cause confusion in commercial contexts, especially when non-circulating legal-tender (collector or bullion) coins bear face values but principally trade on metal content.

• Ambiguity in “Maximum diameter or other dimension (mm)”. For non-circular coins the measurement rule in s 6(3) resolves how to understand “maximum diameter”, but the table uses that column for all coins. Users must carefully apply s 6(3) for S1 triangular coins and a conventional diameter measure for S2 circular coins. Quality-control documentation should incorporate explicit measurement protocols.

• No operational guidance on distribution or sale. The instrument sets no rules about how coins are to be sold, priced or distributed. If an issuer intends to sell bullion coins directly to the public, separate retail and contractual arrangements will govern those sales; the instrument does not create them.

These items are surface-level technical or legal “gotchas” that will generate questions at the point of manufacture, sale and operational use. The instrument’s silence on licensing, enforcement, assay and distribution is not a technical defect in statutory drafting; it is, however, an omission practitioners must address by reference to the Currency Act, contractual arrangements and relevant IP and trade rules.

Compliance with this determination is principally about producing, measuring and using coins in the precise manner the instrument specifies. The instrument does not set out a compliance regime with fines or penalties; compliance is achieved by adhering to the specifications that the Act is to be read as containing. The following is a practical compliance checklist and explanations tied to the instrument’s sections and Schedule items.

Step 1 , Identify the legal baseline and commencement date

• Confirm the instrument’s registration date and apply the commencement rule in s 2: the instrument commences on the day after registration. From that commencement date the Act is to be read as if the specified denominations and standard compositions are included in the Schedule (s 5(2)). Document that date in operational plans.

Step 2 , Map coin specifications to production plans

• Consult Schedule 1 Part 1 for each coin item you will produce or handle. Each table item sets out: denomination, standard composition, standard weight and allowable variation, maximum diameter or other dimension, maximum thickness, shape symbol, edge symbol, obverse symbol and reverse symbol. Use those fields as hard production tolerances.

• For example, for Item 1 ($5 silver triangular): ensure standard composition “At least 99.9% silver”, standard weight 22.23 g with tolerance +0.80 g, maximum dimension 34.20 mm, maximum thickness 3.80 mm, shape S1, edge E1, obverse O1 and reverse R1. Use the exact textual descriptions in Schedule 1 Part 2 for the obverse and reverse.

Step 3 , Apply measurement rules correctly

• For triangular coins with rounded corners (shape S1), apply s 6(3): measure the “maximum diameter or other dimension” by taking the perpendicular bisector of the coin. Ensure measuring equipment and quality-control protocols are calibrated to that rule.

• Where the table shows asymmetric tolerances (e.g. “+ 0.80” rather than “± 0.80”), interpret the notation literally and document whether the allowance is upper-only. If there is ambiguity, seek clarification from the responsible ministerial office or legal counsel rather than assuming symmetric tolerance.

Step 4 , Implement design and engraving requirements

• Use Schedule 1 Part 2 to implement the obverse and reverse designs. Obverse O1 requires an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II with the inscriptions “ELIZABETH II”, “AUSTRALIA”, the year in Arabic numerals and “IRB”. Verify the die artist’s initials and the exact inscription format.

• For each reverse design (R1-R8), use the textual description as a legal specification of the pictorial content and inscriptions. Maintain detailed production proofs that match the descriptive elements word for word, including any words, numerals, lines, logos and ornamental patterns described.

Step 5 , Confirm edge and shape features in tooling

• Produce dies and edging machinery to match edge symbols E1-E3. Interrupted milling (E3) must be implemented in die and edging machinery distinct from continuous milling (E2). Maintain process controls to achieve consistent milled patterns.

Step 6 , Address intellectual property and licensing

• For designs that use third-party characters, logos or trademarks (for example Bananas in Pyjamas, FIFA, Commonwealth Games marks), ensure you have written licences and permissions for reproduction on coins. The instrument prescribes the designs but does not authorise use of third-party IP. Obtain and document rights under contract and ensure contractual arrangements cover reproduction, royalties, moral rights waivers (if necessary), and warranties.

Step 7 , Assay, hallmarking and precious-metal compliance

• For coins bearing inscriptions about mass and fineness (for example “1 oz .999 Ag”, “1/4 oz .9999 Au”), establish assay and quality-control protocols to ensure compliance with the inscription. Although the instrument provides the inscription, it does not set assay procedures. Implement internal or third-party assays, maintain certificates of assay where applicable, and ensure lab results are archived.

Step 8 , Coordinate with merchants and equipment suppliers

• Notify and, where necessary, coordinate with suppliers and operators of coin-handling equipment, vending machines and coin-sorting technologies to ensure acceptance of coins with the specified shapes, weights, thicknesses and edges. Provide technical specifications in machine-readable form and offer test specimens if requested.

Step 9 , Record-keeping and documentation

• Keep detailed production records that demonstrate conformity with each Schedule 1 item: composition, weight logs and batch tolerances, dimensional measurements, die proofs, image approvals, licences for third-party marks, assay certificates and distribution records. These records will be the operational evidence of compliance with the statutory specifications.

Step 10 , Administrative engagement

• Where ambiguity arises (for example the meaning of a tolerance notation, unresolved questions about whether an inscription confers legal tender status, or disputes about the precise appearance of a design), engage the relevant ministerial department or legal counsel to obtain clarification. Because the instrument does not contain enforcement or dispute mechanisms, administrative clarification should be sought early to avoid production that may be non-conforming.

Checklist summary linked to the instrument

• Confirm commencement date under s 2.
• Treat the Schedule as part of the Currency Act per s 5(2) for legal baseline.
• Use s 6(2) and Schedule 1 Part 1 as the definitive specification for weight, tolerance, design and dimensions.
• Apply s 6(3) for triangular coin measurement.
• Use Schedule 1 Part 2 for the exact obverse and reverse textual/pictorial requirements.
• Secure licences for third-party marks depicted in R2, R3, R4, R6, R7 and related items.
• Maintain assays and quality control for coins with precious-metal inscriptions.
• Update coin-accepting equipment as required by shape, edge and mass changes.

Following these steps will align production and handling with the text of the determination. Because the instrument is silent on enforcement and licensing details, compliance must be achieved by combining adherence to the statutory specifications with parallel contractual, IP and assay arrangements external to the instrument.