Australian fifty - dollar note - Wikipedia Australian fifty - dollar note Fifty Dollars ( Australia ) Value $50 Australian dollars Width 151 mm Height 65 mm Security features Window, Watermark Paper type Polymer Years of printing 1995 -- 99, 2003 -- 14 Obverse Design David Unaipon Designer Brian Sadgrove Design date 4 October 1995 Reverse Design Edith Cowan Designer Brian Sadgrove Design date 4 October 1995 The Australian fifty - dollar note is an Australian banknote with a face value of fifty Australian dollars ( A $50 ). It is currently a polymer banknote, featuring portraits of David Unaipon and Edith Cowan. Contents 1 1966 -- 1973 2 1973 -- 1995 3 1995 -- Present 3.1 Design features 3.2 Security features 4 Future of Bank Notes 5 References 1966 -- 1973 There was no fifty dollar note released as part of the initial rollout of decimal currency in 1966, but inflation necessitated its introduction seven years later in 1973. 1973 -- 1995 The original paper fifty dollar note, designed by Gordon Andrews, has a scientific theme. On the front of the note is a portrait of Australian pathologist Howard Walter Florey, Baron Florey and scenes of laboratory research. On the back is a portrait of Sir Ian Clunies Ross, veterinary scientist and first chairman of the CSIRO, along with scenes from the Australian environment. The paper fifty dollar note, circulated between 1973 and 1995. The front of the note The back of the note 1995 -- present Raukkan Church is featured on the note On 4 October 1995 a polymer banknote was released. It was immediately nicknamed `` pineapple ''. The new fifty dollar note was designed by Brian Sadgrove, A portrait of Indigenous Australian author and inventor David Unaipon appears on the front, along with drawings from one of his inventions, and an extract from the original manuscript of his Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigines. There is also a depiction of the Raukkan Church, a historical landmark in Raukkan, where Unaipon grew up. The couple standing in front of the church are Polly and Milerum. Milerum was the last initiated member of the local native tribe. He was highly respected and played a huge role in the recording of history of the native people of the Coorong. ( See Australian produced series `` Who do you think they are ? '' on Michael O'Laughlin. ) On the back is a portrait of Edith Cowan, first female member of any Australian parliament, along with a picture of Western Australia 's original Parliament House, and an illustration of a foster mother and children. In June 2016 there were 643 million $50 banknotes were in circulation, 45 % of the total banknotes in circulation. Worth $32,145 million, this was 46 % of the total value for all denominations. Design Features The handwritten statement on the obverse of the note reads `` As a full - blooded member of my race I think I may claim to be the first -- but I hope, not the last -- to produce an enduring record of our customs, beliefs and imaginings ''. The word `` Imaginings '' is spelt incorrectly and has been corrected. Security Features With reference to the current polymer items, there is a clear window on the banknote with the Southern Cross star formation printed upon it, and the number `` 50 '' is also embossed in the clear window. There is also raised printing on the note. A patch with the number `` 50 '' on the back of the banknote can be seen when held up to a UV light. There are two serial numbers on the banknote, one in black and blue, different fonts are used on each one, and the serial numbers glow under UV light. There is also micro printing, in terms of `` fifty dollars '', and a shadow image of the Australian coat of arms when light is shown through it. Future of Bank notes A new $5 note was released 1 September 2016, and a new $10 note is planned for release in September 2017. The planned release for the new $50 has not been announced. More information can be found on the RBA website. References Jump up ^ `` SERIAL NUMBER INFORMATION ''. banknotes.rba.gov.au. Reserve Bank of Australia ( RBA ). Retrieved 9 February 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Inflation and the Note Issue ''. Reserve Bank of Australia Museum. Reserve Bank of Australia. Retrieved 31 December 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` THE $50 BANKNOTE ( interactive ) ''. Banknote Features. Reserve Bank of Australia. Retrieved 9 February 2015. Jump up ^ Unaipon, David ( 2006 ). Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigine ( Repub. ed. ). Miegunyah Press. ISBN 9780522849059. Retrieved 9 February 2015. Jump up ^ `` Raukkan Church Restoration ''. The Australian Institute of Architects. Retrieved 23 July 2015. Jump up ^ `` $50 BANKNOTE ''. Banknotes in Circulation. Reserve Bank of Australia. Retrieved 9 February 2015. Jump up ^ `` DISTRIBUTION - CIRCULATION AND PRODUCTION STATISTICS, AS AT END JUNE 2015 ''. banknotes.rba.gov.au. Reserve Bank of Australia. Retrieved 31 December 2015. Jump up ^ `` List of Security Features ''. Counterfeit Detection. Reserve Bank of Australia. Retrieved 9 February 2015. Jump up ^ http://banknotes.rba.gov.au/banknote-features/#-new-five Jump up ^ http://banknotes.rba.gov.au/banknote-features/#-new-ten Jump up ^ http://banknotes.rba.gov.au/banknote-features/#-new-fifty Jump up ^ http://banknotes.rba.gov.au/australias-banknotes/next-generation-banknotes-program/ Ian W. Pitt, ed. ( 2000 ). Renniks Australian Coin and Banknote Values ( 19th ed. ). Chippendale, NSW : Renniks Publications. pp. 171 -- 172. ISBN 0 - 9585574 - 4 - 6. Australian currency Decimal coins 1c 2c 5c 10c 20c 50c ( round ) $1 $2 Coins of the $ Commemorative coins Decimal notes $1 $2 $5 $10 $20 $50 $100 Banknotes of the $ Pre-decimal coins ⁄ d 1d 3d 6d 1s 2s 5s Pre - £ coins Coins of the £ Pre-decimal notes 5s 10s £ 1 £ 5 £ 10 £ 20 £ 50 £ 100 £ 1000 Mints Sydney Mint ( 1855 -- 1926 ) Melbourne Mint ( 1872 -- 1967 ) Perth Mint ( 1899 -- ) Royal Australian Mint ( 1965 -- ) Topics Australian dollar Australian pound ( obsolete ) Banknotes of the Australian pound ( obsolete ) Note Printing Australia Pound sterling ( obsolete ) Reserve Bank of Australia Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Australian_fifty-dollar_note&oldid=800884060 '' Categories : Banknotes of Australia Fifty - base - unit banknotes Currency introduced in 1973 Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from December 2013 Use Australian English from December 2013 All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English Articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases from May 2017 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2010 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Bahasa Indonesia 日本 語 Edit links This page was last edited on 16 September 2017, at 08 : 16. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when did the $50 note come out in australia
Answer: 1973