Councillor Maxine Booby has voiced concern about the impact of bank closures on the Wee Waa community.

Cr Booby introduced a notice of motion at last Tuesday’s council meeting addressing the issue.

Her concerns come following the recent closures of the NAB and ANZ branches.

Cr Booby told the meeting Wee Waa had been badly affected by the closure of bank branches.

She said it had affected the town’s commerce as well as the businesses that require banking services.

Cr Booby said a banking facility through Australia Post had limited use as it was mostly beneficial for personal banking.

She said businesses had to travel to Narrabri for their banking needs.

“Difficulties have arisen since the banks have left town,” she said.

“I recommend this motion to council to express our concern that part of our shire is not getting good banking service.”

Her motion requests that council notes that bank branch and ATM closures are leaving many communities without access to financial services, especially in regional Australia.

Among the other points raised are:

  • Since 1975 the number of bank branches in regional Australia has fallen by more than 60 per cent, and there are more than 1500 communities across Australia with no bank branches at all.
  • A large proportion of the population, including the elderly, disabled, small businesses and local schools and charities, will always have a need for face-to-face financial services despite advances in technology.
  • For hundreds of communities, their only access to cash and financial services is through Bank@Post at their community post office.
    Bank@Post is an essential service to all communities, but is vulnerable to commercial decision-making by the banks, which can choose to withdraw their participation.

The second part of Cr Booby’s motion asks that council calls on the Commonwealth Parliament to pass the Commonwealth Postal Savings Bank Bill to establish a post office people’s bank, fully guaranteed by the Commonwealth, as a dedicated postal savings bank, operating exclusively through Australia Post’s corporate and licensed post offices, which will ensure basic banking services—including deposit-taking, business and personal lending, and access to cash— are available to all Australians, and will contribute to Australia’s national economic development.

Cr Booby added a third point during last Tuesday’s meeting, requesting council write to the shire’s federal and state Members of Parliament, Mark Coulton and Roy Butler, informing them of council’s desire to support the passage of the Commonwealth Postal Savings Bank Bill.

Cr Booby’s motion was seconded by Cr Ron Campey.

Following the motion’s adoption, mayor Ron Campbell commended Cr Booby for her advocacy.

Cr Campbell said it was an unfortunate reality that small communities were losing access to bank branches.

“I can fully understand Wee Waa and other communities’ difficulties in not having a bank,” he said.

See more like this:

To order photos from this page click here