Closure Of ANZ Regional Bank Branches

Written by Claude Haiku 4.5 from the extracted text on 28 Feb 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

Treasury's Financial System Division brief to the Treasurer (September 2024) addresses ANZ's regional bank branch closures and the government's response to a Senate committee inquiry. The brief notes that branch closures are commercial decisions but expresses government concern about impacts on rural and remote communities requiring face-to-face banking. It documents that regional and remote branch numbers fell 34 percent from June 2017 to June 2023, driven mainly by major banks, though Treasury emphasises alternative services via telephone, internet, mobile apps, and Bank@Post at 3,400 Australia Post offices. The brief summarises eight Senate committee recommendations made in May 2024, including recognising financial services access as essential, commissioning a publicly owned bank feasibility study, developing mandatory branch closure codes with regulator oversight and consultation requirements, exploring switching barriers, and establishing a Regional Community Banking Branch Program. The document indicates Treasury was considering these recommendations as of late September 2024