MALLEE residents have been left feeling “hopeless” as banks across regional Australia continue to close despite the ongoing Senate Inquiry, says Member for Mildura Jade Benham.
On Wednesday, the Finance Sector Union announced more bank branches had been identified for closure, stating NAB was still refusing to pause its branch shutdowns.
The union called on major banks to stop closing branches across Australia while the Senate Inquiry into Regional Branch Closures was under way.
“The NAB’s behaviour is outrageous, completely out of step with community expectations and in breach of its social license,” FSU National Secretary Julia Angrisano said.
With Robinvale’s ANZ expected to close in just three weeks, Ms Benham said local communities were left feeling “frustrated” by the lack of control over closures.
“It is a David and Goliath battle,” she said.
“There is a really feeling of hopelessness and not being heard by what are essentially corporations wanting to add to their multibillion dollar profit lines.”
Ms Benham said it was “no surprise” that NAB was continuing to close branches during the inquiry.
She said while Wednesday’s announcements didn’t affect Sunraysia, all closures within small communities were a “kick in the guts” to the people that produced the nation’s food.
In Wednesday’s release, the FSU announced CBA had also notified the union of two more upcoming branch closures and ANZ said it would be closing three.
CBA and ANZ, however, have committed to pausing regional closures until the inquiry is over.
The Robinvale CBA is included in the pause, but the ANZ is not and is expected to close on May 18.
Ms Benham has been campaigning for the pause of Robinvale’s ANZ branch closure over the past few months, but said she had received no proper contact from the bank.
She also handed over a petition with over 1300 signatures to her federal counterpart, Anne Webster, in the hope it could help pause the closure.
“All we seem to be getting from the banks when we contact them, except for Westpac, has been generic email replies that any customer seems to get,” she said.
“The conversations and replies we have had back say ‘your nearest branch is in Mildura’, my response has been that is an hour away, you don’t understand that for people who can’t drive.
“It is a big deal.”
Ms Benham said in person banking was crucial to the elderly population and seasonal workers, who had to create new bank accounts when they arrived in Australia.
She said she was “disappointed” in ANZ and the lack of human conversation had with communities and herself.
“I am surprised that there hasn’t been more engagement from government relations within ANZ,” she said.
“They haven’t reached out to have an actual conversation, there have been no replies to my emails that look they are written by an actual person.”
Ms Benham encouraged community members to “vote with their feet” and take their money out of the big banks leaving Australia’s small communities.
