Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Infrastructure) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Reserve Bank of Australia is undertaking a process to introduce Australia's next generation of banknotes. The new banknotes will include improved security features and, thanks to the campaign run by Connor McLeod and supported by the member for Jagajaga and the member for Chifley, those new banknotes will have improved tactile features for those who are vision impaired. They are very welcome by many Australians, so it is good to see a community campaign to see Fred Hollows be one of the Australians featured on our next generation of banknotes. It is called Put Fred on the Fiver.

On the front of our current $5 note we have, obviously, Queen Elizabeth II. On the reverse we have a picture of this place. Fred Hollows would be a worthy inclusion on any Australian banknote. There are two compelling reasons why he should be on the fiver, however. The first is that during his long lifetime he ran a very famous campaign to 'give Fred a fiver' so that he could help restore the sight of blind or vision impaired Aboriginal Australians. The second, of course, is that the $5 note is the only Australian banknote that does not include an Australian on it.

Despite his death in 1993, his work continues through the Fred Hollows Foundation. Many Australians, including Ray Martin, Bob Hawke and Cathy Freeman, have already added their voice to the campaign. He is a worthy Australian to be included on any banknote, so let's get behind the push to put Fred on the fiver.