Australian one - cent coin - Wikipedia Australian one - cent coin One cent Australia Value 0.01 AUD Mass 2.60 g Diameter 17.65 mm Edge Plain Composition 97 % copper 2.5 % zinc 0.5 % tin Years of minting 1966 -- 1991, 2006 and 2010 Obverse Design Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia Designer Raphael Maklouf Design date 1985 Reverse Design Feathertail glider ( Acrobates pygmaeus ) Designer Stuart Devlin Design date 1966 The cent, formally the one - cent coin, is the lowest - denomination coin of the Australian dollar. It was introduced on 14 February 1966 in the decimalisation of Australian currency and was withdrawn from circulation in 1992 ( along with the two - cent coin ). Description From 1966 until 1984 the obverse featured the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin. It was changed in 1985 to a version by Raphael Maklouf, which remained until its withdrawal from circulation in 1992. The reverse side of the coin features the image of a feathertail glider ( Acrobates pygmaeus ), a gliding possum unique to Australian states bordering the Pacific Ocean. The image was designed by Stuart Devlin, who designed the reverses of all of the original Australian decimal coins. Production The first issue ( 1966 ) was produced by three mints : 146.5 million were minted at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, with 239 million at the Melbourne Mint and 26.6 million at the Perth Mint. With the exception of 1966 and 1981, all other one - cent coins have been produced at the Canberra mint. In 1981, 40.3 million were struck at the British Royal Mint in Llantrisant, Wales, as well as 183.6 million in Canberra. The only year when it was not minted during its years in general circulation was 1986. It was last minted in 1990. The decision to remove the one and two - cent coins was confirmed by the Treasurer in a Budget Speech on 21 August 1990. The action was due to inflation reducing its value, and the high cost of bronze. Around the same time other countries removed their bronze coins -- New Zealand removed its one and two cent coins in 1990, while the United Kingdom and Ireland changed their bronze one and two pence coins into copper - plated steel. The one cent coin was produced as proof and uncirculated coins in 1986, 1991, 2006 and 2010 as part of mint sets. Other compositions were also used for 1 cent coins such as the 1978 ( incorrectly listed as 1968 at Downies ) specimen struck in aluminium or fine silver proofs in 1991, 2006 and 2011. After removal from circulation, the coins were melted down to make bronze medals for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. In 2017, a limited edition Possum Magic themed coin set was released. A one - cent coin is included that shows Hush the Possum reading a book. References Jump up ^ `` RBA Banknotes : Legal Tender ''. Banknotes.rba.gov.au. Archived from the original on 2012 - 11 - 26. Retrieved 2013 - 08 - 17. Jump up ^ `` Frequently asked questions ''. Ramint.gov.au. Retrieved 2013 - 08 - 17. Jump up ^ `` Coin Types from Australia ''. Worldcoingallery.com. Retrieved 2013 - 08 - 17. ^ Jump up to : `` One cent ''. Ramint.gov.au. Retrieved 2013 - 08 - 17. Jump up ^ `` Decimal Errors and Varieties ''. Downies. Retrieved 2013 - 08 - 17. Jump up ^ `` An official striking of Sydney 2000 Olympic Victory Medals by Minister Joe Hockey MP ( 07 / 06 / 2000 ) ''. Ramint.gov.au. 7 June 2000. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 2013 - 08 - 17. Ian W. Pitt, ed. ( 2000 ). Renniks Australian Coin and Banknote Values ( 19th ed. ). Chippendale, NSW : Renniks Publications. ISBN 0 - 9585574 - 4 - 6. Preceded by Denomination Created One Cent ( Australian ) 1966 -- 1991 Succeeded by Withdrawn from circulation 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 This coin - related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Australian_one-cent_coin&oldid=842741555 '' Categories : One - cent coins Decimal coins of Australia Coin stubs Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from December 2013 Use Australian English from December 2013 All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2018 All stub articles Talk About Wikipedia Bahasa Indonesia 日本 語 Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 24 May 2018, at 11 : 06 ( UTC ). About Wikipedia

Question: when did australia stop making 1 cent coins
Answer: 1990