The intellectuals running the Royal Australian Mint are at it again with a secret plan to scrap our 5 cent coin.
This will lead to a consumer rip-off of unimaginable proportions with retailers reluctant to round bills DOWN to the nearest 10 cents.
You can be sure that prices ending in 5c will be bumped up by another 5c.
In the middle of a recession when every cent counts for Australia's battlers, only the fuzzy-headed bureaucrats at the Australian Mint could have dreamed up this idiotic plan at this most-inopportune time.
One and two cent coins were scrapped almost 20 years ago, when they had become an almost valueless nuisance.
But a few 5c pieces today can add up to a tidy amount.
Now is not the right time to scrap our little echidna.
If the Australian Mint wants to win any public praise, it should scrap the antiquated "Royal" from its official title.
Imagine having the portrait of King Charles of Australia on our coins in the future.
Perish the thought!
PAUL TULLY - paul@tully.org.au
