Carnamah Shire calls Westpac a ‘disgrace’ for failing to listen to the community about branch closure

A Mid West shire leader has labelled Westpac a “disgrace” for failing to listen to the community and suspend its decision to close its branch this week while a Federal Senate inquiry is ongoing. The Shire of Carnamah is pleading for Westpac to follow the lead of the Commonwealth Bank and put a halt to branch closures while a Federal Senate inquiry examining the impact of branch closures on regional communities is under way. But last Thursday a spokesperson for Westpac confirmed the Carnamah branch closure was going ahead as planned on Friday. The bank said many of its customers had transitioned to online banking and Carnamah locals would be able to use the Bank@Post facility at the nearby post office. Shire president Merle Isbister said it was time Westpac stopped its “corporate waffle” and started listening to communities. She pointed out the post office had no disability access, while the existing branch did. “What a disgrace. The question is why isn’t Westpac listening?” Cr Isbister said. “Westpac has decided to forget about our elderly residents, volunteers and wider community who rely on cash to run the local canteen, who are not necessarily tech-savvy or have access to a reliable internet connection, and our local businesses that rely on the tailored face-to-face customer service to support their activities.” Cr Isbister urged Westpac to reconsider its decision to close its Carnamah branch. “It isn’t too late for Westpac to show that it understands its social licence and not close the Carnamah branch,” she said. “This alone would enable Westpac’s customers residing in Carnamah to have a banking service and not be forced to do a 240km round trip to access an essential service.” A survey conducted by the shire last year to gauge public sentiment about the branch closure found the majority of respondents used the branch at least once a week. Opposition Leader and Moore MLA Shane Love said Friday’s closure in Carnamah would leave six shires in a region covering a staggering 23,000sqkm without a bank. “Next week, Carnamah residents will be forced to make a 260km round trip to find a bank in either Dongara or Moora,” he said. “That flies in the face of part four of the Banking Code of Conduct, which talks about banks being accessible and inclusive, and servicing customers in remote and regional areas.” Mr Love said Carnamah Shire had requested an impact assessment from Westpac four months ago, but still had not received one. “They’ve not been given an explanation as to why their bank is closing,” he said. Mr Love backed the shire’s call for the closure to be delayed until findings of the Federal inquiry were tabled in December this year.