The invention of the polymer banknote was a disaster for Australia. Costs involved in continually replacing them are enormous. Let's face it paper and cloth are quite substantial materials. They can stand up to a lot of wear and tear. The main problem with polymer is that once folded it cannot be straightened out - a permanent crease prevents stacking of notes by banks and neat storage in consumers' wallets.
All ATMs give brand new notes. It is impossible to do otherwise because they need to be tightly stacked. You would be wasting your time just trying to put used fifty dollar bills into an ATM. Replenishing ATMs is a major cost in the modern age. Government should be looking to save costs here.
Considering the saving from fewer forgeries is a pitiful A$50 million, the extra cost is not worth it. Anyway, if people get a forgery they always pass it on, as giving it to a bank results in nothing in return. Government should take the loss for forgeries. Then people would hand them in.
The issue of durability is still a big government lie. As noted above they do not last longer: they become unusable after first use and fold. It is amazing how government blindly accepts a new idea for the sake of it when it is a big expensive white elephant.
✴ Science by Ty Buchanan ✴
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