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{{Use Australian English|date=May 2024}}
⚫
'''Note Printing Australia (NPA)''', which is located in [[Craigieburn, Victoria|Craigieburn]], [[Melbourne]], is a wholly owned subsidiary of the [[Reserve Bank of Australia]] and was corporatised in July 1998. NPA has its origins as a subsidiary of the [[Commonwealth Bank]] and was established in 1913 to print [[banknote]]s for [[Australia]]. After printing paper banknotes for Australia for 75 years NPA introduced the first [[polymer]] banknote technology in 1988. Note Printing Australia produces banknotes and [[passport]]s.
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}

{{Infobox company
According to a booklet published by the [[Reserve Bank of Australia]], visits to NPA's exhibition and display gallery can be arranged by appointment.
| name = Note Printing Australia
| logo = Note_Printing_Australia_logo.png
| type = [[Subsidiary]]
| industry = Printing
| founded = {{Start date and age|1998|06|01}} in [[Craigieburn, Victoria|Craigieburn]], Australia
| hq_location = 1/9 Potter Street
| hq_location_city = Craigieburn
| hq_location_country = Australia
| area_served = Australia
| products = {{Unbulleted list|Bank notes|Passports}}
| parent = [[Reserve Bank of Australia]]
| website = {{URL|https://www.noteprinting.com/history}}
}}
⚫
'''Note Printing Australia''' (NPA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the [[Reserve Bank of Australia]] (RBA) that produces [[banknote]]s and [[passport]]s. It was corporatised in July 1998 and is located in [[Craigieburn, Victoria|Craigieburn]], Melbourne. NPA has its origins as a subsidiary of the [[Commonwealth Bank]] and was established in 1913 to print banknotes for Australia. After printing paper banknotes for 75 years, NPA introduced the first [[polymer banknote]] technology in 1988. NPA print banknotes for several other countries as well as Australia due to the high standards of durability and difficulty of counterfeiting.


==NPA polymer banknotes==
==NPA polymer banknotes==
In the mid 1960s Australia was hit by forgeries of the newly introduced [[Australian ten-dollar note|$10 paper decimal note]].<ref name="Our Currency">{{cite web|title=Our Currency |url=http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/currency.html |website=Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |publisher=Australian Government |accessdate=16 June 2014 |date=November 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928075611/http://dfat.gov.au/facts/currency.html |archivedate=28 September 2011 }}</ref><ref name="The Money Changers">{{cite news|last1=Shand|first1=Adam|title=The money changers|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/the-money-changers/story-e6frg6z6-1226387544763#|accessdate=16 June 2014|work=[[The Australian]]|publisher=News Corp Australia|date=8 June 2012|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608103948/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/the-money-changers/story-e6frg6z6-1226387544763|archive-date=2012-06-08}}</ref> In response, the [[Reserve Bank of Australia]] and Note Printing Australia commissioned the [[CSIRO]] to find better ways to secure the Australian currency. This led to the development of the [[polymer banknote]], which the NPA took into production and introduced in 1988.<ref name="Our Currency" /> NPA has since focused heavily in promoting the benefits of the polymer technology they developed. According to internal RBA documents, NPA's printing costs in 2012 were 34¢ per note.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Shand|first1=Adam|title=RBA 'wasting $50m a year' on print subsidiary|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/print-subsidiary-costing-a-mint/story-fn59nsif-1226482958793#|accessdate=13 June 2014|work=The Australian|publisher=News Corp Australia|date=28 September 2012}}</ref>
{{unreferenced|section|date=December 2011}}
The [[Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation|CSIRO]] developed the [[polymer banknote]] and the NPA took it into production. NPA has since focused heavily in promoting the benefits of the polymer technology they developed.

=== Environmental issues ===
When money was originally printed on [[Paper money|paper]] (which is really cotton based) it was common practice to burn money and documents that were removed from circulation, which burned cleanly. This was the preferred method to dispose of security documents because it ensured that the notes were totally destroyed.

When polymer notes were introduced it was soon realised that burning polymer notes would cause air pollution in the form of black smoke, so a workaround was formulated to shred the polymer notes into tiny pieces and have them sent to a plastic recycling plant.

=== Security benefits ===
In the 1960s Australia was hit by a major forger of the $10 paper decimal note. These forged notes were of a high quality and difficult to identify. In response, the [[Reserve Bank of Australia]] and Note Printing Australia commissioned the [[Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation|CSIRO]] to find better ways to secure the Australian currency. They came up with the polymer note. It was reasoned that it would be harder to print on a plastic note because the technology didn't exist.

Polymer notes provided a smoother, reduced-texture surface compared to paper notes allowing for the introduction of micro security printing. The writing can just be made out in bright sunlight or with magnification. Every note ever printed using polymer substrate has included [[Microprinting|micro printing]].

Most people are familiar with the watermark feature of paper note, which was also incorporated into the polymer notes. The introduction of the polymer substrate allowed for the addition of extra security features, including a clear window with a picture in it and a registration star. A special printer called a super simultan prints both sides of the note simultaneously, to register the multicoloured print perfectly from front to back. Commercial printers typically print one side at a time and find it difficult to keep both sides perfectly aligned over time.

Other features include windows which can incorporate security devices such as vignettes and embossing (which cannot be copied on regular banknotes).


===Life expectancy of polymer notes===
===Use of polymer banknote technology in Australia and other countries===
While NPA was initially involved in the production of the polymer substrate, a subsidiary company was created in 1996 that effectively removed NPA from this aspect of the banknote supply chain. Today, polymer substrate is manufactured in Australia by CCL Secure, which is wholly owned by [[CCL Industries]], a Canadian publicly listed company. Polymer banknotes are now issued in more than 60 countries worldwide, including [[Canada]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bankofcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/currency_polymer.pdf|title=Backgrounder on Canada's new polymer bank note series|publisher=Bank of Canada|date=June 2011|ref={{harvid|Bank of Canada|June 2011}} }}</ref>
In tropical countries paper banknotes deteriorate quickly because of humidity and microbe activity. A benefit of using a polymer note is that most microbes don't attack the substrate, hence the longer life in circulation. In less tropical climates the life expectancy of paper banknotes improves. On the other hand, polymer notes can deteriorate in the presence of solvents and ultraviolet light.


Since 1988, NPA has printed more than 10 billion banknotes for 19 countries on more than 80 denominations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.noteprinting.com/our-customers|title=Our Customers}}</ref> NPA has won numerous awards for its business and printing capability. In 2020, NPA won the Currency Services Award by the London-based industry organisation ''Central Banking''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.noteprinting.com/newsacrhive/2020/2/7/npa-honoured-to-receive-central-banking-award|title = Npa Honoured to Receive Central Banking Award| date=7 February 2020 }}</ref> and won a Printing Industry Craftsmanship Awards Gold Medal for the design and production of the Solomon Islands new $5 polymer banknote.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.noteprinting.com/newsacrhive/2020/7/22/solomon-islands-5-wins-printing-excellence-gold-medal|title = Solomon Islands $5 Wins Printing Excellence Gold Medal| date=22 July 2020 }}</ref>
===Cost effectiveness===
When New Zealand moved to polymer notes a New Zealand Bank press release stated that "plastic bank notes cost twice as much to produce but they last four times longer, which will save about $1 million annually".


==Printing equipment at NPA==
==Printing equipment==
⚫
Note Printing Australia is a [[security printing]] facility, that uses a number of special printers not available to the general printing industry.
{{unreferenced|section|date=December 2011}}
⚫
Note Printing Australia is a security printing facility, that uses a number of special printers not available to the general printing industry. These include printing presses manufactured by [[Koebau]]
* Super Simultan
* Standard Simultan
* Super Intagliocolour
* Super Numerota


==2014 mention in Victorian Supreme Court suppression order==
==Corruption Allegations==
NPA was mentioned in a leaked [[suppression order]] of the [[Supreme Court of Victoria]] in Melbourne. The order, by Justice [[Elizabeth Hollingworth]], which forbids publication of corruption allegations against named government officials of Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, includes a specific exemption allowing the [[Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions]] to pass banned information on to NPA.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wikileaks.org/aus-suppression-order/WikiLeaks-Australian-suppression-order.pdf|title=''The Queen v.s Barry Thomas Brady & ors'', suppression order, 19 June 2014}}</ref>
A secret memo sent to the "Deputy Governor RBA" in 2007 detailing bribery and corruption within a Reserve Bank subsidiary was withheld from the police, Federal Parliament and the government. The revelation of the five-page "private and confidential" memo ties RBA governor Glenn Stevens and his recently retired deputy, Ric Battellino, to one of the worst corporate corruption cover-ups in Australian history. The 2007 memo shows that almost two years before a bribery exposed by The Age forced the RBA to call in police, Mr Battellino was given a detailed and explosive memo cataloging bribery and corruption inside Note Printing Austra-lia, a wholly owned and supervised subsidiary of the bank.<ref>http://www.smh.com.au/national/memo-warning-rba-chiefs-of-corruption-withheld-from-police-20120821-24kci.html</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist}}
* Note Printing in Australia (RBA) (~1988) Published by Nucolorve Productions Pty Ltd, ISBN 0-85858-097-7
* Australia's New $5 Note (RBA) - leaflet.
* Australian Currency Notes - How they are made (RBA) Leaflet.


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.noteprinting.com/ Note Printing Australia]
* {{official website|https://www.noteprinting.com/}}


{{coord|display=title|-37.612974|144.943453|type:landmark_region:AU}}
{{coord|display=title|-37.612974|144.943453|type:landmark_region:AU}}
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[[Category:Mints of Australia]]
[[Category:Mints of Australia]]
[[Category:Government of Australia]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Government-owned companies of Australia]]
[[Category:1913 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Australian companies established in 1913]]
[[Category:Banknote printing companies]]
[[Category:Reserve Bank of Australia]]
[[Category:Printing companies of Australia]]
[[Category:Companies based in Melbourne]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in the City of Hume]]

Latest revision as of 07:46, 7 May 2024

Note Printing Australia
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryPrinting
FoundedJune 1, 1998; 26 years ago (1998-06-01) in Craigieburn, Australia
Headquarters1/9 Potter Street,
Craigieburn
,
Australia
Area served
Australia
Products
  • Bank notes
  • Passports
ParentReserve Bank of Australia
Websitewww.noteprinting.com/history

Note Printing Australia (NPA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) that produces banknotes and passports. It was corporatised in July 1998 and is located in Craigieburn, Melbourne. NPA has its origins as a subsidiary of the Commonwealth Bank and was established in 1913 to print banknotes for Australia. After printing paper banknotes for 75 years, NPA introduced the first polymer banknote technology in 1988. NPA print banknotes for several other countries as well as Australia due to the high standards of durability and difficulty of counterfeiting.

NPA polymer banknotes

[edit]

In the mid 1960s Australia was hit by forgeries of the newly introduced $10 paper decimal note.[1][2] In response, the Reserve Bank of Australia and Note Printing Australia commissioned the CSIRO to find better ways to secure the Australian currency. This led to the development of the polymer banknote, which the NPA took into production and introduced in 1988.[1] NPA has since focused heavily in promoting the benefits of the polymer technology they developed. According to internal RBA documents, NPA's printing costs in 2012 were 34¢ per note.[3]

Use of polymer banknote technology in Australia and other countries

[edit]

While NPA was initially involved in the production of the polymer substrate, a subsidiary company was created in 1996 that effectively removed NPA from this aspect of the banknote supply chain. Today, polymer substrate is manufactured in Australia by CCL Secure, which is wholly owned by CCL Industries, a Canadian publicly listed company. Polymer banknotes are now issued in more than 60 countries worldwide, including Canada.[4]

Since 1988, NPA has printed more than 10 billion banknotes for 19 countries on more than 80 denominations.[5] NPA has won numerous awards for its business and printing capability. In 2020, NPA won the Currency Services Award by the London-based industry organisation Central Banking[6] and won a Printing Industry Craftsmanship Awards Gold Medal for the design and production of the Solomon Islands new $5 polymer banknote.[7]

Printing equipment

[edit]

Note Printing Australia is a security printing facility, that uses a number of special printers not available to the general printing industry.

2014 mention in Victorian Supreme Court suppression order

[edit]

NPA was mentioned in a leaked suppression order of the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne. The order, by Justice Elizabeth Hollingworth, which forbids publication of corruption allegations against named government officials of Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, includes a specific exemption allowing the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions to pass banned information on to NPA.[8]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Our Currency". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Australian Government. November 2009. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  2. ^ Shand, Adam (8 June 2012). "The money changers". The Australian. News Corp Australia. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  3. ^ Shand, Adam (28 September 2012). "RBA 'wasting $50m a year' on print subsidiary". The Australian. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  4. ^ "Backgrounder on Canada's new polymer bank note series" (PDF). Bank of Canada. June 2011.
  5. ^ "Our Customers".
  6. ^ "Npa Honoured to Receive Central Banking Award". 7 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Solomon Islands $5 Wins Printing Excellence Gold Medal". 22 July 2020.
  8. ^ "The Queen v.s Barry Thomas Brady & ors, suppression order, 19 June 2014" (PDF).
[edit]

37°36′47″S 144°56′36″E / 37.612974°S 144.943453°E / -37.612974; 144.943453

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