April 4, 2023
Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington says the current Senate Committee investigating the impact of bank closures in regional areas is an important opportunity to share information with the Federal Government.
She has already made a submission and has urged other local residents to also do so.
“Over the past several years, there have been continual bank closures in towns across the Nanango Electorate including Suncorp Kingaroy, NAB Esk and Murgon, ANZ Toogoolawah, Kilcoy and Kingaroy and reduced hours at Commonwealth Murgon,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“On behalf of my community, I wanted to share the economic and welfare impacts of bank closures on people from our region.
“Unfortunately, the closure of regional branches is a common theme for the big banks, who believe they can service their customers just as well online.
“We know that many people in regional areas have slow internet connection, or no computer access at all, so internet banking isn’t always the answer.
“Residents of regional townships value their local bank branches.
“A complete lack of public transport across the Nanango Electorate also means it is not always possible for them to travel to another township to access a branch.
“Another important issue we’re seeing in regional Queensland is the issue of cybercrime.
“More and more people are being targeted in scams and there is a genuine need for victims of these crimes to be able to access their bank in person to discuss and rectify their situation. Often these victims are older Australians who can struggle to deal with the banks via the phone or internet.
“The loss of any service is always devastating for small townships, who too often feel the brunt of large companies relinquishing their commitment to serve regional areas.
“The Federal Committee is accepting submissions until April 28 and I would encourage anyone who has been impacted bank branch closures to consider sharing their experience.”
- External link: Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee website
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