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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Josh Nicholas

The Australian government will force some shops to accept cash. So who still uses it, and why?

RBA
Man with cash
Businesses selling essential goods and services will be forced to accept cash from their customers under an Australian government mandate to take effect from 1 January 2026. Photograph: MultifacetedGirl/Getty Images/iStockphoto

The Australian government has announced it will mandate that businesses selling essential goods and services must accept cash from 2026, and has confirmed that cheques will no longer be accepted as legal tender from 2029.

So how many Australians are still paying with cash?

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