The Australian five-cent coin is the lowest-denomination circulating coin of the decimal Australian dollar introduced on 14 February 1966, replacing the pre-decimal sixpence.

Due to inflation, the purchasing power of the five-cent coin continues to drop, and as of 2018 represents 0.27% of the country's minimum hourly wage for workers age 21 or over.

Royal Australian Mint chief executive Ross MacDiarmid estimate that, sometime in the second half of the 2020s, "[it] will probably cease to be used due to droppage of demand".

[6] In May 2007, owing to the high market value of copper and nickel, the bullion value of the coin was about 6.5 cents, though there were no reported cases of hoarding or melting down of the coins despite the apparent 30% gross profit to be made from doing so.

[7] 5c coins are legal tender for amounts not exceeding $5 for any payment of a debt.