Banks are an essential community service but this week it was revealed that CBA is shutting down more branches and restricting business hours in others.

Dale Webster from The Regional has started a parliamentary e-petition calling for a moratorium on regional bank branch closures and a new banking inquiry.

Because this petition will be presented to parliament, you need to enter your name and email address then confirm your signature by clicking on a link emailed to you.

Regional Australia has lost 62 per cent of its banks since 1975, leaving just 1062 located mainly in clusters in larger centres. The number of towns and cities with a bank has shrunk from 1226 to 386: 575 towns that once had one or more major banks now have no form of bank at all. Another 146 towns are on the brink of complete loss of banking services, with just one major bank open.

Last year, regional Australia lost 113 “big four” bank branches. Locations included 45 towns that were stripped of their last/only bank. Of these, 23 did not have a minor corporate, mutual or franchise bank to fall back on.

If a similar 10 per cent cut to the branch network is made this year, 100 more branches will be lost in the next seven months: 50 towns will lose their last bank. This issue has not been looked at properly for 17 years. 

Please sign the parliamentary e-petition and share it with friends and family: https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN4244

Thanks Jason