PHOTO: Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton and Committee Chair, Senator for Queensland Matthew Canavan are pleading regional communities to have a say in the Senate Inquiry into regional bank branch closures. Submissions close 31 March, 2023.
As regional bank branches slowly begin to shut their doors on residents and businesses, regional communities are being left stranded without equal access to financial services.
A new Senate inquiry into regional and rural branch closures was referred to the Rural and Regional Affairs Committee last month, and is due to finish in December 2023, however, public submissions are closing in three days.
The inquiry was established following 92 bank branches across the country being closed or slated for closure since September, and the committee called on all banks to halt branch closures until the completion of the inquiry as a sign of good faith.
Chair of the Committee Senator Matthew Canavan said that he is speaking with communities that are being impacted by bank closures across regional Australia…